The hyacinth issue on Presidents Dam has become desperate.
At present, the dam is a sea of green and makes it impossible to tell where the water begins and where the grass ends.
Given how dark the area is at night there is the risk of distracted drivers driving into the dam.
Over the last two years, numerous attempts have been made to control the growth of this invasive plant but the results have been disappointing.
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Water hyacinths are seen as a severe environmental problem as they spread rapidly, and the overgrowth renders recreational use of the dam impossible.
The plant has also been linked to a number of health risks, such as providing breeding grounds for malaria and bilharzia parasites.
In an attempt to get the overwhelming water hyacinth problem under control in local dams, some municipalities have opted to poison the plants.
However, the use of poisons may have a huge environmental impact on the ecosystem of the dam and the communities exposed to that water.
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The metro has responded to the Addies’ inquiries over the past two years but their statements have been ambiguous.
In 2018, they said that they had sprayed herbicide on the plant and physically removed some of them, reducing their numbers by five per cent.
They also said that they would use a speed boat to help spread a herbicide, but it’s not clear if this ever happened.
In October last year, the metro said that it is nearly impossible for them to eradicate the plant completely and they have employed the Watermaster to physically remove the plant, but did not indicate when it would start working.
In 2017, due to inaction by the metro, residents appointed a private company to remove the hyacinth.
Ward Councillor Ramesh Sheodin says the metro has spent millions of Rands addressing the problem concerning the invasive water hyacinth in many dams in the East Rand.
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“I must add that they have not had much success because the contractors don’t ever finish the job of removing all of the plants.
“The few plants left behind multiply at an alarming rate and the evidence is clear in the dam at Dersley.
“I am informing the city manager that residents are not happy with the haphazard and shoddy manner in which the work has been carried out in the past.
“It is also wasteful expenditure in dealing with the same problem over and over again without the desired outcome,” adds Sheodin.
The metro has failed to provide comment in time of publication.
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