‘The need for greater environmental awareness’ – Edenvale River Watch
EDENVALE - “If community members and businesses are more thoughtful and attentive, over time things could get better.”
Preserving nature which surrounds suburbs is not only vital for future generations but also for the wildlife inhabiting these green areas.
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One man who believes this quite strongly is Irwin Juckes of Edenvale River Watch.
River Watch provides continuous monitoring of waterways and keeps a long-term record of the changes.
These records often determine if a river’s “health” is getting better or worse.
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Irwin, who has his PHD in microbiology, told the NEWS one way to determine the health of a river is to collect a water sample and count the number of invertebrates in the water sample.
He said a good indicator of a river’s “health” is the number of Caddisflies surrounding a river.
He said the biggest contributors to Edenvale’s water pollution is sewage and industrial waste.
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He added that bad habits, no respect for nature and the municipal by-laws result in water pollution.
Irwin said sewerage leaks which go unreported and runs into the water systems are a large contributor towards water pollution.
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Other contributors to water pollution include:
- the overuse of chemicals and insecticides.
- Washing your car and letting the water go into the storm water system and back-washing swimming pools into the storm water system.
“Overall in Edenvale, things have improved. There is less illegal dumping,” said Irwin.
One of the healthiest rivers in Edenvale is the Hurlyvale Spruit.
He said the amount of litter surrounding Edenvale waterways has been reduced.
However, Irwin hopes to see greater improvement not only in Edenvale but also in the surrounding areas as well.
Something which Irwin believes would assist the growth in wildlife and biodiversity would be a nature/conservation corridor.
The corridor would essentially be a connection of all the green areas in Edenvale, Modderfontein and surrounding areas.
Irwin said when an eco-system or small conservation area is isolated, wildlife dies.
The wildlife deaths could be caused by anything varying from fires, pets and people themselves.
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“A conservation passage would make wildlife movement and population more viable. It is feasible,” said Irwin.
Besides assisting the wildlife and nature, the corridor would provide biodiversity and recreation for community members.
Irwin said although he is passionate about nature he also understands the need for development.
However, he emphasised if there were 10 times more people informed about nature, eco-systems would thrive.
“If community members and businesses are more thoughtful and attentive, over time things could get better,” said Irwin.
He urged community members to do something about water pollution.
“Time is very important when it comes to pollution. The sooner things are reported the less damage is inflicted to the rivers,” said Irwin.
Irwin invited community members to get involved with River Watch.
He said it is not all about samples. Long-term visual reports assist with determining a river’s health.
Although Irwin encourages community members to get involved he said the biggest inhibitor to monitoring the river is safety.
He reminded them to be safe, vigilant and not to become a victim of crime.
For more information about the Edenvale River Watch, visit the group’s website at www.edenvaleriverwatch.co.za or send an email to irwin@edenvaleriverwatch.co.za
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