Henry says many of South Africa's river systems are choked by invader species such as water hyacinth and typha (the common bulrush) and the proliferation of these has been boosted by nutrient run-off from artificially fertilised agricultural holdings.

Pollution is noticeable in most rivers - the Jukskei in Gauteng and Umsinduzi in KwaZulu-Natal being among the worst affected.

"In the Cape, the Kuils River, draining into False Bay, the Disa River running into Hout Bay and the Diep River draining into Zeekoevlei, are... carriers of disease.

"Often, raw effluent is found in rivers which, it was thought, were protected by supposedly sophisticated, but now overloaded, sewerage schemes nearby."

Henry says that in one area he is especially familiar with, the Diep River estuary (of which the Milnerton Lagoon forms part), canoeists are wary of taking to the water in summer because faecal pollution is so prevalent.

"This can cause a range of infections and is particularly dangerous if swallowed, as does happen with children playing in the beach area.

"It is now accepted that the choking of Diep River has gone so far that the river would be totally stagnant in summer if it were not for the inflow of waste-water effluent."

Henry says the City should introduce plans for appropriate wetland-associated developments and set about cleaning up the rivers at once.

"This is a perfect opportunity to create useful employment for those out of work.

"In many areas, such as the suburbs of D'urbanvale in Durbanville, volunteers do valuable work cleaning up wetlands under the guidance of a nature conservation office, but this type of work should be in the hands of full-time employees trained by the local authorities."

Henry says an education programme should be put in place to teach people about the importance of rivers and wetlands and to ensure that pollutants are kept out of the rivers.

Weekend Property supplement (Saturday Argus)

Posted at 09:32AM Jan 11, 2010 by Editor in Residential  |  Comments[6]