PETER Charlton is a man on a ‘green’ mission. His objective is to rid the coast of an invasive alien plant called water lettuce which is a problem in many estuaries along the coast.
Last Saturday he teamed up with numerous Banana Beach residents, several youngsters, and even a few Ubuntu lifeguards to tackle the water lettuce in the river and lagoon at Banana Beach with an environmentally-friendly herbicide.
Paddy Norman, chairman of the Southern KwaZulu-Natal branch of the Wildlife and Environmental Society of South Africa (WESSA), contacted Mr Charlton and raised his concerns about the invasive plant.
Mr Charlton, who is an Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife honorary officer, said he sprayed about 250 litres of the herbicide mixture onto the plants.
“Water lettuce has very thick green leaves and can be found in rivers and dams, occasionally forming large dense mats. It clogs waterways, and can affect marine life as it blocks out the sunlight. It also makes boating and fishing almost impossible,” said Mr Charlton.
He explained that it can be easily spread by birds, especially ducks.
Mr Norman said the water lettuce was a big problem and he urged those who have the plant to be careful how they dispose of it.
Mr Charlton said he would tackle the Umzumbe River next and thanked Wessa for donating R1000 towards the project.
Anyone who would like to help towards the spraying costs can contact him at 082 6861975.
