River project makes a difference
An Aller River Revival Festival will be held in Clermont to award learners.
A LEAKING manhole was finally repaired to the joy of affected residents in Clermont.
Following the discovery and repairs on one long-term leaking manhole next to the Aller River below uMqhele High school in Clermont, another leaking manhole near the river below 33rd Avenue was reported to the Aller River Pilot Project (ARPP) eco champs.
The spillage was first reported on 20 January and after not getting an effective resolution, they enlisted the support of Mxolisi Cele from the eThekwini Water and Sanitation Environmental Pollution branch and Lindani Thusi, Acting Superintendent from the EWS Waste Water section, to assess the site on 24 February. The manhole was finally fixed on Thursday, 2 March.
Eco champ, Silindile Sithole who also lives near the area said, “Residents can now open their doors and windows as there is no longer a bad smell.”
“The Aller River Pilot Project is aimed at long-term behavioural change and our hope is that the river communities will ultimately take control of river health and work hand-in-hand with the municipal authorities to ensure a healthy river for all. The road to achieving this goal is a long and arduous one often consisting of small steps.
“Once such step was achieved recently with the result that there has been a significant improvement in the quality of the river in one section of the river,” said eThekwini Conservancies Forum chairman, Paolo Candotti.
Introducing the project to schools
In early February, the ARPP eco-champs, supported by DUCT education officer, Pandora Long and community liaison officer, Thozeka Ntlukwane, ran a successful Art Campaign in six Clermont schools.
Learners were given art materials including paper, crayons, and paints, along with guidance on producing their own art works on the theme of a healthy river.
This was followed by a series of school events with each of the schools, providing basic education on the environment and water and rivers, with three main take-home messages of stopping littering, supporting biodiversity, and recycling.
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Selected art works produced by the learners will be on display and prizes will be awarded at the upcoming Aller River Revival Festival which will be held in Clermont on Saturday, 25 March at the Christianenburg Stadium. Everyone is invited to join the festival.
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