By admin, on May 23rd, 2011
Shell can claim to be able to recycle up to 50% of the water used for fracking, but what they still will not tell us is what  chemicals they will be using and how they plan to remove said chemicals from that water to make it safe. Shell are yet to convince me that fracking is safe and that it will not destroy our pristine Karoo. This is very clever marketing by Shell, playing on the buzz word recycling to make the general public think that all is peachy.
Shell, do not think for one minute that we are fooled by your statement. Bring us the facts of what water you will be using and we want the evidence of where you have recycled that kind of water to a state where it has been used for agricultural or other purposes. Then, and only then, will we even consider what you claim to be an option worth looking at in terms of the holistic picture.
Just because you can recycle the water used, does not mean that the environmental impact is lessened. There is still the reality that the gasses that spew from the wellheads are carcinogenic and cause air pollution on a scale that the Karoo has not been exposed to before. The amount of trucks you will be sending through the Karoo will also cause untold damages to infrastructure and the environment. What is the Carbon footprint of your fracking processes in the US?
Give us facts that we can process and understand and stop this mumbo-jumbo, bull@#%&-baffles-brains garbage that you keep spewing out at every turn. This is far from over… – Craig
Environment Writer SHELL has acknowledged that fracking for gas in the US has caused water contamination, but says no one has attributed this contamination to the company.
Shell also said it would leave Karoo communities with 50 percent more water than they had before it began fracking for gas. Read More
By admin, on May 10th, 2011
Washington – New research is providing some of the first scientific evidence that a controversial gas drilling technique can contaminate  drinking water.
The study found potentially dangerous concentrations of methane gas in water from wells near drilling sites in north-eastern Pennsylvania, although not in central New York, where gas drilling is less extensive.
In an unexpected finding, the team of Duke University scientists did not find any trace of the chemicals used in the hydraulic fracturing process in 68 wells tested in Pennsylvania and Otsego County in central New York.
In hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, water, sand and chemicals are injected underground to crack the rock and get natural gas to flow into a well. Critics of the technique have worried more about the chemicals since companies have refused to make public the proprietary blends used, and some of the ingredients could be toxic. Read More
By admin, on May 10th, 2011
The meeting will be headed from the Treasure the Karoo Action Group’s Jonathan Deale.
Date:Wed 11 May 2011
Time:8.pm
Venue: Auditorium,SA Astronomical Observatory Cape Town 021 447 0025
Directions: Observatory Road, off Liesbeeck Parkway, (entrance to the Observatory is on the L just past the entrance to The River Club)
Hosted by the Cape Center of the Astronomical Society of South Africa
http://www.capecentre.org.za/home.html
By admin, on April 21st, 2011
Great news!! But do not for one minute think that we can sit back and relax, now is the time to really begin  driving the message home about fracking. We do not want it in our Karoo!! Shell are also going to be pourig over their strategies moving forward from here, so we need to gather more support than ever to be ready for the next round of anti-fracking. – Craig
Cape Town – The cabinet has endorsed the decision by the mineral resources department to invoke a moratorium on licences in the Karoo Basin where “fracking” is proposed.
“Fracking” is hydraulic fracturing, a technique for extracting shale gas from deep underground by pumping a pressurised mixture of water, sand and chemicals down drill holes.
The department would lead a multi-disciplinary team, including the trade and industry and science and technology departments, to research the full implications of the proposed fracking, government spokesperson Jimmy Manyi told a media briefing following cabinet’s regular fortnightly meeting. Read More
By admin, on April 12th, 2011
This, Shell and Sasol and Bundu and Falcon is only a part of why we do not want you in our Karoo, now leave us  alone. Why not channel your Reasearch and Development budgets into Renewable Energy and start righting some of the wrongs that you inflict on our planet every day… – Craig
Cornell University professors will soon publish research that concludes natural gas produced with a drilling method called “hydraulic fracturing” contributes to global warming as much as coal, or even more. Read More
By admin, on April 4th, 2011
And so Shell are already starting with their dodging tactics… We cannot allow this greedy multinational giant to rape and plunder in our Karoo and then just bugger off, with the spoils in their grubby, oil and blood stained paws while we are left to fix the carnage that they will have caused.
If Shell’s intentions are as honourable as they claim, why not wait for all the reports and studies to be completed before rushing in? Why not make an informed decision for a change instead of being driven by incessant greed for fossil fuels? I tell you why, it is a race with the other bidders to see who can get the monopoly on Shale gas in SA and bugger the consequences.
STAY OUT OF OUR KAROO, WE DO NOT WANT YOU HERE!!! – Craig
GRAAFF-REINET: Shell has “completely failed” in its obligation to submit a thorough, legal environmental management plan (EMP), according to Karoo communities that are opposing Shell’s application to frack for shale gas over 90 000km in the Karoo. Read More
By admin, on March 31st, 2011
Water Rhapsody has franchises around SA. Contact us today for an onsite evaluation and start using your grey water wisely. – Craig
HAVE you ever watched the water draining from the bath and wondered about what it represents: money and precious water  resources going, literally, “down the drain”? Using technology available in KwaZulu-Natal, this doesn’t have to be the case as this “grey water” can be recycled (see below).
By installing a grey-water system, families and organisations can recycle water from washing and bathing for use in the garden or toilets. “Doing this means not only saving money, but also removing this water from the sewage treatment streams, thus alleviating pressure on waste water works and allowing them to treat just ‘black water’ or waste water from toilet systems,” said Guy Jubber of Clevergreen Environmental Systems in Durban, a franchise of Water Rhapsody water conservation systems. Water Rhapsody systems were developed in Cape Town and have won a World Wide Fund for Nature Green Trust award for product innovation in water conservation.
Read More
By admin, on March 28th, 2011
By admin, on March 28th, 2011
Even though Shell are doing all they can to assure the concerned Anti-frackers about the safety of the fracking  process and that water contamination is a very rare occurence in their “best practice” method of mining this shale gas, we still need to know what they will do to prevent the air pollution once the gas has been harvested and piped to refining faciclities.
Having watched Gasland, a must see if you haven’t already, I am gravely concerned about the air pollution that arises from the compressors or condensation tanks that sit above the gas wells. The town of Dish, Texas is a prime example where air samples showed the presence of high levels of Benzene, a known carcinogen. Residents complaining of frequent nausea, severe headaches, breathing difficulties, chronic eye irritation, allergies, throat irritations and even brain disorders. Blood and Urine samples of residents testing posistive for Benzene and other contaminants. Trees dying on a farm in the area.
Do we really want this is our pristine Karoo? I don’t. Add your voice to the swelling number of people who agree and make a difference! There are some action groups who are really making strides against Shell and their Exploration aplication, namely: The Karoo Anti Hydraulic Fracturing Action Network http://kahfan.blogspot.com/ and Treasure The Karoo Action Group http://www.treasurethekaroo.blogspot.com/. Visit their sites right now and sign up, contact them to add your support in whatever way possible. – Craig Read More
By admin, on March 16th, 2011
The following article from the FDI shows just how important aquifers are in our water supply.
I have taken certain excerpts from the document, the full paper can be downloaded at the following address:
http://www.futuredirections.org.au/admin/uploaded_pdf/1300254002-FDI%20Strategic%20Analysis%20Paper%2016%20March%202011.pdf.
What stands out is that we not only have to respect the water we draw from the ground, but we also need to ensure that we are using the resource as efficiently as possible. This once again boils down to effective demand management. Demand management is a concept that Water Rhapsody strives to improve on every day. Our WWF Green Trust Award pays testimony to this. We have a specialised range of products that assist in reducing daily water consumption. Our systems also allow you to make minimal lifestyle changes and still be making a difference to the environmental impact of your household and its water footprint.
Contact us today to find out more about our systems and how we can assist you in making a difference. – Craig
Summary :
Aquifers play a key role in the provision of water for farming and for consumption by animals and humans. Almost all parts of the global landmass hide a subterranean water body. Aquifers are underground beds or layers of permeable rock, sediment or soil where water is lodged and can be accessed to yield water. This paper explores some of the major aquifers around the world and determines how countries are coping with increased water usage. Read More
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