E40m to save wetlands in 5yrs

MBABANE – In the next five years, the Municipal Council of Mbabane will need E40 million to save the fast-deteriorating wetlands in the country.

:ith the total area under wetlands in the city which is 571 hectares, about five per cent of the total Mbabane land area consists of riverbeds, riverbanks and pools and of restricted flows along rivers. Over 50 per cent of the wetland area in the capital city is already affected.

,n a bid to restore the wetlands, the European Union and

Budget

Municipal Council of Mbabane Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Busangaye Masina, said there was no budget for the deteriorating wetlands. Masina stated that the council did not have the finances required for the rehabilitation of the wetlands. 7he acting CEO said they were establishing relations with EU and

Mayor 9usi 7embe said construction, invasive alien species such as bug weed, wattle and gum trees, illegal dumping of waste, pollution and other detrimental human activities destroyed the wetlands.

7embe stated that the council provided a budget annually to remove invasive alien plant species from the wetlands, however, more effort was required to cope with the challenge since the scale of the problem required a lot of resources.

He said ³About 2 700 hectares of land was affected by invasive alien plants in the city and it is estimated that more than E40 million needs to be mobilised in the next five years in order to remove them.”

7embe applauded the EU for supporting the council¶s environmental and recreation programmes such as waste reduction and the construction of a stake park at the Coronation Park.

7he mayor stated that restoring the Man]ana wetland would help mitigate the impact of flooding of the Mbabane downstream near the CBD, which was a constant problem for the council during the rainy season. ³As the council we fully align ourselves with the )orOurPlanet campaign, which seeks to mobilise citi]ens and civil society to take action to address the climate and nature crisis.” 7embe, further called upon communities, particularly the youth, on the importance of wetlands and the need to keep them safe from harm.

Protect

He said communities in the 12 local wards should follow the example of Man]ana to restore and protect wetlands.

7he mayor also extended appreciation to

1dlangamandla said ³:hile there are efforts from various entities in the environment preservation ecosystem, including the government, municipalities, 1*Os, civil society and communities to revive and protect wetlands, the maMor challenge is the lack of awareness among communities.”

He said the youth needed to understand the importance of wetlands and the need to keep them safe from harm.

He said the lack of awareness among communities led to a greater danger of exposing the wetlands to illegal dumping of waste, heavy infestation with invasive plant species and destruction by other forms of human encroachment.

(Pic: Sithembile Hlatshwayo) EU Head of Co-operation Eva-Maria Engdahl (C) with the Acting Municipal Council of Mbabane CEO Busangaye Masina(Far L) and Mayor Vusi Tembe(2nd L), Council Infromation and Public Relations Officer (IPRO) Lucky Tsabedze and Ward Councillor Maphevu Dlamini.