The City of Ekurhuleni has invested in a 12-seater speedboat to efficiently and effectively attend to water bodies maintenance issues as and when required.
The speedboat is equipped with a 200-litre herbicide spraying unit designed to spray aquatic invasive plants such as water hyacinth, Mexican lilies, water grass and many others found in the water bodies and shorelines.
The Brakpan Dam has been battling a hyacinth infestation for almost two years.
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Other water bodies in Ekurhuleni where invasive plants grow include Kleinfontein Dam, Middle Lake, Civic Lake and Homestead Dam in Benoni, President Dam in Springs and Victoria Lake in Germiston.
In a further effort to ensure efficient clearing of all the city’s water bodies, the city has employed the services of seven wetland attendants and two Watermaster operators.
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The Watermaster machine, which is capable of suction dredging, backhoe dredging, raking and piling, was purchased by the city almost 10 years ago.
It has been used by the city to remove hyacinth from various lakes and dams throughout Ekurhuleni.
As a long-term solution, however, the city is working on introducing biological methods such as beetles, weevils and indigenous fish species to control the growth of alien invasive plants in the water bodies.
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