KIBLER PARK – Guest speaker, Jill Humphreys, a member of Bedfordview Garden Club and a DA councillor of Bedfordview, spoke to Johannesburg South Garden Club members about local wetlands and the importance of saving them, at the garden club meeting on Tuesday June 30.
Jill said in Ekhuruleni alone there are 206 wetlands, all of which are threatened through sewage and industrial effluent.
“Wetlands are very important and are the kidneys of the world. They help the flow of water and need to be maintained and saved for the future of our country,” said Jill.
Recently Jill attended a conference in Seoul, Korea and told members of the club how the redesigning of its road layouts and revamping its public transport systems, Seoul is hoping to become one of the greenest cities in the world.
“The city has commitment from its residents who are involved in a city food initiative and a resilient urban food programme. A reclaimed rubbish dump is now a beautiful park and a highway was removed to bring a stream back to run through the city with park land around it. A golf course and race track is now a forest and nature reserve. This could all be achievable here in South Africa if government and community members begin to work together to create a greener country,” Jill added.
Jill said South Africa as a whole should learn to harvest rain water and this would save millions of litres of water a year which could be put to good use.
“Derelict and abandoned buildings could be changed into eco gardens which would provide food for the disadvantaged and provide jobs for local people.
“In Gauteng just from not recycling each year, the value of waste costs billions of rands. Each and every one of us must begin to recycle our waste. You have to make it happen!” Jill concluded .
