South African Lawyers representing AgriSA have spoken out against petroleum multinational Royal Dutch Shell over its drilling plans in the Karoo region, website Mg.co.za reported.

Derek Light Attorneys, who also represent agricultural businessman Johann Rupert, said the multinational's environmental management plan submitted to the Petroleum Agency of South Africa was a 'worthless paper exercise', the story reported.

The company's wells would be drilled using hydraulic fracturing, which is also referred to as 'fracking', involving the high-pressure injection of chemically-treated water to release natural gas, the Mail & Guardian reported.

"The general perception is put across in the draft environmental management plan that Shell maintains some lofty internationally accepted environmental standard that must surely be good enough for the South African context," the lawyers' critique said.

"The strategy that Shell knowingly followed by submitting this fatally flawed plan is in fact an attempt to bypass legislation that is in place to protect the people of South Africa."

Source: www.freshfruitportal.com