This is according to the Ekurhuleni Municipality spokesperson, Themba Gadebe, who said the plants are checked regularly.
“The weed buster team does regular maintenance, aiming for less than one per cent coverage during the maintenance work,” said Gadebe.
The municipality uses boats with high and low pressure spraying equipment, knapsacks and hay forks, depending on the infestation within a particular dam.
Derek Dingwall, a concerned resident who lives close to Homestead Dam, said the plant can often cover an entire lake or dam if it is not bought under control.
“If the plant is removed using poison, it can recover and multiply, faster in hot weather, within 7 days,” said Dingwall
Once it has covered the entire lake, it starves the water of oxygen and sunlight, which poses a serious danger for people and animals.
“If a person falls in a lake covered in hyacinth, nobody will be able to see and rescue them.
“Fish are also in danger because no oxygen can get into the water,” said Dingwall.
He said the plant, which drops thousands of seeds in the water, attaches itself to reeds, which help it grow, and once it is big enough, it detaches and continues to multiply.
“The municipality should monitor the reeds, but you can never stop the plant from growing completely,” said Dingwall.
