Willowton maintains its stand against water pollution
The Willowton Group’s consistent clean-up efforts has helped stand the Baynespruit river in good stead in the recent flooding.
Over the past four months, the Willowton Group has committed to regularly clearing a section of the Baynespruit River. The recent flooding has revealed this section of the river was not as severely impacted as a result of the work done.
Quality and Food Safety manager for Willowton Group, Dr. Abie Khan, said less refuse had been collected in March, as the focus had been on clearing the bank to improve the river’s flow. The impact of the river bank clearing has been seen in the recent flooding as there was very little debris.
“There is a lot less debris along the embankment and the regular clearings have resulted in limited dirt collecting along the banks of the river.
“The clean-up is ongoing and, as has been said before, will only have a significant impact if other players join the cause. Cleaning a one kilometre stretch of the river is only going to have an aesthetic impact in the vicinity of the cleanup,” he warned.
Willowton Group has been working tirelessly with Dusi Umgeni Conservation Trust (Duct) as a fellow founder of the Baynespruit Conservancy in 2020, to rally neighbouring industries and local government in Pietermaritzburg to clean up the provincial capital’s rivers.
Khan said it was unfortunate that the only time there was a sense of urgency regarding the unacceptably high E. coli levels was usually just prior to the high profile Dusi Canoe Marathon.
However, the threat was a daily one for residents. E.coli has been linked to liver and kidney damage, stomach cramps, diarrhoea and vomiting, fever, muscle and joint pains and skin irritations.
The Inanda Dam and the Umgeni Catchment, two of KwaZulu-Natal’s most strategic water sources, are under threat from upstream pollution, not only endangering the health of local communities but also ultimately inflating the water bills of residents and industry, warned Khan.
As one of South Africa’s six most contaminated rivers, the Baynespruit poses a severe risk to those living along its banks. Those attempting to irrigate crops in the Sobantu community have been unable to use this river water as it is too toxic.
Micole Martens, general manager of Talbot Laboratories, which has partnered with Willowton Group to help monitor the levels of life-threatening E. coli bacteria, reported that the E. coli counts at the beginning of the March 23 clean-up were as high as the counts observed on February 15, showing that a clean-up of a selected stretch of river is not adequate to achieve the desired result.
“A concerted effort along the entirety of the river, together with awareness and training of communities and industries is the only way to achieve success.”