Community members are committed to clearing the water hyacinth infestation without making use of poisons – news which is welcomed by the Hartebeespoort Dam Rehabilitation Steering Committee.
Community members and the media were invited to see the cleaning programme in action at the dam on 10 October. The Steering Committee has managed to raise in excess of R500 000, which they are using to remove the plants directly. Additional income will also come from using the dried water hyacinths as fire briquettes and compost once they become available.
Until now, the committee has received little to no support from the Department of Water affairs, which has given the committee until December to make a difference in the dam. After that deadline, the Department will consider poisoning the invasive plants. However, this is not ideal, as it will affect other plants and animals in the ecosystem adversely.
It would also cause the dam water, which is currently clear, to turn green, as algae would feed on the rotting dead plants. The dam would take several years to recover fully should this happen.
The Department of Water Affairs has contributed two boats, which were repaired and made water-ready by the rehabilitation committee.
In addition, a specialised barge has been brought in from China by Global Pump to aid with the removal. A conveyor-belt system compresses and dumps the hyacinths on the shore for further removal. It is estimated that about 2ha of hyacinth can be removed per day with the current machinery.
The steering committee is appealing to residents of the province to get involved in saving the dam as the team only has enough funds to clear about 10% of the infestation. It has been predicted that at the current rate of growth, the dam will be 90% covered by December this year.
“We are heavily reliant on donations from the public in order to save our dam. We would like to spread our reach throughout Gauteng, as many people enjoy the dam over weekends for recreational purposes,” said Rudy Joles, a member of the Steering Committee.
The committee is appealing to the community to collect empty 2l cold drink bottles to help keep the nets both buoyant and visible to other dam users. Caxton Local Media has offered various offices in the Gauteng area as collection points for these bottles. Please find a list of drop-off points listed below. Please note that the bottles MUST have their lids on them and the labels removed. The time to act is now – before it’s too late!
Should you wish to donate bottles, please drop them off at one of the following Caxton Local Media offices:
- 1187 Cornelius Street, Weltevreden Park
- 368 Jan Smuts Avenue, Craighall Park
- 61 Van der Walt Road, Brakpan
- 48-5th Avenue, Springs
- 20 Sydney Road, Boksburg
- Corner 14th Avenue and O’Reilly Merry Street, Benoni
- 1 Eaton Terrace, Terrace Building, Alberton
- 126 Monument Road, Kempton Park
- 25 Main Road, Fishers Hill, Germiston
- Shop 18A, Greenstone Crescent, Greenstone Hill
- 32 Orpen Avenue, Lydiana
- Corner General Pienaar Avenue and Ham Street, Witpoortjie
The public can also get involved by making monetary donations towards the rehabilitation project. For more information on how you can get involved, and for banking details, visit www.northcliffmelvilletimes.co.za or Facebook.
Related articles: Crisis: Hartbeespoort Dam needs you
Do you perhaps have more information pertaining to this story? Email us at northsider@caxton.co.za (remember to include your contact details) or phone us on 011 955 1130.
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