Toti Canoe Club opened its new clubhouse on Friday, 14 March after the decimation of its member base.
“We lost a lot of our members after the destruction of the Toti River, as we could not paddle on it,” said Toti Canoe Club chairman, Mark Pontes. “As a result we could not afford to pay our rent. Fortunately Marty and Ricky Lodetti of M Projects came to our rescue and donated a pre-fab building for us to use as a clubhouse, which has been erected above the previous one and we thank them for their support.”
Mark hopes to rejuvenate the club, but is worried it is a hopeless cause, unless the Toti River is rehabilitated. After numerous sewage spills into the river, water hyacinth has completely riddled the river from the CBD to the old River Gardens site and it is impossible for paddlers to use the river for recreational purposes. Toti paddlers use either the Karridene River or Mnini Dam for practice and time trials.
After a train derailed into the lagoon in December, 2012, Metro Rail has not allowed the river to breach while repairs to the line are ongoing. This has led to the lagoon silting up and swamp reeds taking root.
“The river was coming right about three years ago, when no-one was allowed to interfere with the natural breaching, before the train derailed. Now Metro Rail is strangling it by interfering with the natural flushing of the river. It said repairs to the line would have little interference with the river and the lagoon, but it has had a major interference.
The municipality promised it would rehabilitate the river and lagoon, but at a recent meeting it said it was not responsible,” said Mark. “The relevant parties need to take responsibility.”
Over the years, he has been a crusader in the fight against sewage overflow and the ongoing threat of water hyacinth growth, the problem exacerbated by sewage overflows dumping into rivers by the municipality. In May 2011 the situation was so bad, he had no option but to shut the club’s doors. He got so despondent by the municipality’s lack of support in combating the problem, he vowed to resign as chairman. However, after being supplied a new clubhouse, Mark is now empowered to continue the fight and grow the club.
“I want the municipality and Metro Rail to take responsibility and fix this whole river. The lagoon needs to be dredged to get it back to its original state. Private companies are willing to help, but nothing can be done until Metro Rail has finished its project in June. We are desperate to save the river. We need the public’s support as this is a devastating blow for Toti and the ecosystem.”
South Coast Sun: What are your thoughts on this, readers? please comment below………
