Air and water suffer for the lights to stay on

So, South Africa’s state-owned electricity company Eskom has signed coal supply contracts with collieries that have not yet obtained water use licences. And this is condoned by the Minister of Public Enterprises, because “the lights must stay on”. Other environmental interests also seem to be relegated to a backseat against this national priority: Eskom’s 2010 annual report clearly shows how dust emissions from its coal-fired power stations have increased sharply since the onset of the electricity supply crisis in 2007/8. This is a slide-back against a hard-won trend of cleaner power stations for the preceding decade. Has Eskom redeployed its scarce human resources around this need to keep the power stations running at all costs? Is their management prepared to sacrifice our constitutionally enshrined right to have the environment protected for the cause of keeping the lights on? Is this another reason to push for more investments into renewable energy? I can’t see how poor maintenance practices or mismanagement could cause a solar or wind generation park to be abusing water resources or polluting the air!