The Ekurhuelni metro has stated that the control of water hyacinth should be viewed from a long-term perspective and ‘getting entirely rid of the water hyacinth is not practical’.
“The four Benoni lakes (Homestead Dam, Middle Lake, Civic Lake and Kleinfontein Dam) are part of aquatic alien vegetation hotspot,” said Ekurhuleni metro spokesperson Themba Gadebe.
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“In particular, water hyacinth has been a problem since about a decade ago.
“This plant is able to embed seeds into the sediments for years so that it is able to germinate when favourable conditions prevail.
“In this way, a water hyacinth problem can only be resolved in the long-term as the plant is able to regrow in a short space of time.
“However, we are aware of the current conditions of the hyacinth cover in all the Benoni lakes.
“The current rains seem to have washed out most of the water hyacinth into the Kleinfontein Dam.
“The Kleinfontein Dam is currently the most affected by the water hyacinth problem as it has about 30 per cent coverage.
“This dam was last cleared in April 2019 but requires mechanical clearing.
“As soon as the procurement process for the new service providers is concluded, work will be prioritised.”
Gadebe also commented on the status of hyacinth in the water bodies.
“From February to November 2019, we managed to clear Homestead Dam.
“Biological agents were also released to keep the water hyacinth cover under control at Homestead.
“These are little flying insects that feed on the water hyacinth.
“Middle Lake had water hyacinth removed between April and June 2019.
“The current hyacinth cover requires a follow up herbicide spraying, scheduled now in January.
“The Civic Lake (next to Lakeside Mall) has had significant increase in the hyacinth cover in the last three months.
“Physical removal and herbicide spraying have been done in November and December 2019.
“The Benoni lakes are part of the department’s priority area and are being monitored to assess the effectiveness of the envisaged measures.”
