No fish to be harmed during dredging
Many residents of the ‘Parks’ have expressed their concerns regarding Zoo Lake since it was announced that the wetland would be dredged.
“What happens to all the fish when the lake is drained? Can City Parks assure us that no fish will be harmed during this procedure?” queried Sue Taylor, a resident.
Another concern was that a number of artisanal fishermen and women depended on the fish at Zoo Lake and the dredging could impact their livelihoods in some way.
However, the spokesperson of City Parks Jenny Moodley explained that the fish in the lake would not be disturbed as it was not the “entire lake that was being dredged or drained but rather only the sludge dam”.
Zoo Lake consists of three dams, of which two serve as water filters to clean the polluted water coming from the zoo before it runs into the main “lake”.
“The main lake where the fish live has no work being undertaken, this means that we will not be draining or dredging the main lake so the fish are safe,” she explained.
The plan is to dredge the silt dam – the catchment area where all the muck and silt is caught.
Moodley assured that there were no fish in this dam.
“We are also reinstating the pump systems and a fountain at the smaller ponds. The parking area will also be formalised with pavers, and it would be access controlled,” she added.
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