Locals respond to Blue Lagoon clean-up call

The clean-up concentrated on the area near the Green Hub and the Blue Lagoon pond.

Clean-up operations to clear the pond at Blue Lagoon, on Saturday, continued. Vast amounts of rubbish washed down the uMngeni River as the river burst its banks after the storm.

DURBANITES also answered the call to help clear up Blue Lagoon which was badly damaged by the storms.

Vast amounts of litter brought down the Umgeni River flooded the pond at Blue Lagoon, and several historic trees were torn down by the heavy rains and winds.

Green Corridors, the NPO that looks after green spaces in Durban, with support from the eThekwini Municipality, The Litterboom Project, Adopt-a-River and the Durban Boat Club, all banded together to help clear the area.

Throughout last week, teams cleared the debris left strewn across the grassy banks and picked up rubbish floating on the river’s surface and on the beaches near the mouth of the river.

Also read: Body washes up on Glenashley Beach

In all, seven people were killed in last week’s floods across eThekwini.

According to the Provincial Disaster Management Centre, the deaths were recorded in Cato Manor (two people), Durban North (one person) and Pinetown (one person), while two bodies were recovered in Bayhead on Tuesday last week.

The number of fatalities remains at one in the Ugu District, specifically recorded in Port Shepstone.

“A total of 138 houses were destroyed, and seven individuals are still reported missing,” confirmed KZN MEC for COGTA, Bongiwe Sithole-Moloi.

Nkanyiso Mtshali and Bheki Manyoni help clear the pond at Blue Lagoon which was also severely affected by the storms. Vast amounts of rubbish washed down the uMngeni River as the river burst its banks after the storm.

Two of the youngest volunteers at the clean-up at Blue Lagoon are siblings Troy and Ivy Pollard. The youngsters who attend Chelsea Preparatory School and Headway Pre-Primary School helped their grandmother at the clean-up.

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