Bid to save flamingo chicks
ADDITIONAL water from the Homevale Waste Water Treatment Plant (HWWTP) is being pumped into Kamfers Dam in an attempt to save thousands of flamingo chicks from imminent death.
The newly-hatched chicks are unable to fend for themselves or fly and the water levels around the breeding site at the pan have rapidly receded.
The acting head of the Northern Cape Department of Environment and Nature Conservation, Les Abrahams, said yesterday that talks were held with Sol Plaatje Municipality to facilitate the reduction of the daily abstraction of recycled water by a diamond mining company, to a maximum of eight megalitres.
“This was done to save thousands of flamingo chicks who were facing almost certain death and preventing a pending ecological disaster for biodiversity authorities.”
One of the main users of the water from the HWWTP, Kimberley Ekapa Mining Joint Venture, has been requested to heed the plight of the threatened flamingos.
Abrahams indicated that this would result in more than four megalitres of treated grey water flowing daily into the dam from the HWWTP.
“Scientists from the Department of Environment and Nature Conservation (DENC) inspected Kamfers Dam last week to find that the water levels were dropping very fast due to a combination of excessive heat, wind and water extraction,” said Abrahams.
“Several of the breeding nests furthest from the water’s edge have eggs and chicks that would most probably have died as they had been abandoned by breeding pairs.”
Abrahams added that a number of flamingos were still breeding and that about 1 000 to 2 000 newborn chicks were under threat should the water level decline further.
“A large crèche with about 9 000 to 15 000 older chicks that are not fully fledged yet, are not facing immediate threat, but are nonetheless vulnerable as they cannot fly and their mobility range is limited.
“Breeding is expected to continue until March and caution needs to be exercised when refilling the dam.”
Abrahams stated that the volume of grey water produced at the HWWTP dropped dramatically after one of its main feeder pump stations, at Gogga Pan, had ground to a halt.
“The Department of Water and Sanitation has made available R25 million to Sol Plaatje Municipality for this project. Thus far the Gogga Pump Station refurbishment is about 60 percent completed. The sewer line to Homevale must, however, be replaced in its entirety and the Gogga outfall sewer project is going through the final stages of adjudication. The municipality followed a ‘closed tender’ process and the appointment of the successful contractor is expected next month.”
Abrahams indicated that the DENC had proposed that a multi-departmental, dynamic and adaptive management process be established to manage the water levels at Kamfers Dam in order to safeguard the flamingos.