Turning weed into feed
A CO-OPERATIVE run by a group of young people in a village near Inanda Dam outside Durban has the potential to create jobs and boost the community’s economy by turning hyacinth, a problematic weed, into fertiliser and animal feed.
The invasive weed has been threatening farmers’ livelihoods for some time while causing harm to the rich rural biodiversity.
A former field ranger at isimangaliso Wetland Park, Thandwa Ngcobo, 33, the founder of the Ikhaya Lemvelo Environmental Monitors Co-operative, said no one’s sure how the South American water hyacinth invaded that part of the dam. It is fed by the umngeni River.
The weed was spotted in the dam and river mouth a few years ago after clogging part of the shoreline. Freed from its natural insect enemies, it continued to spread into fishing grounds where it became a struggle to eradicate. This created a knock-on effect – reduced catch, lower income, food shortage.
Ngcobo said he feared the rotting vegetation under the suffocating blanket of weeds began to foul livestock drinking water, which comes straight from the river mouth into the dam.
He and his team of four, Nobuhle Ngcobo, 30, Banothile Ngcobo, 23, Lungile Khwela, 27, and Busi Msomi, 29, have tried to remove the weeds using a rake and a cane knife. Ngcobo said after his contract expired at Charters Creek, which falls under Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, he returned home with a dream to protect the environment from harmful species.
“Our wish is to have proper training on how to turn this into a fertiliser and sell it to the local farmers to also feed their livestock. But we need protective gear and business support to get motivated.
“Water is a precious resource for our livestock and crops which feed our families through fishing. We feel indebted to all the stakeholders who built the dam for us,” he said.
Khwela said when the dam was built in 1989 she had aspirations of seeing tourists flocking into the area, and enjoyed watching the Dusi Canoe Marathon which runs along the Msunduzi
and umngeni Rivers.
Umgeni Water spokesperson Shami Harichunder said water hyacinth has for several years been a problem at Inanda Dam, and Umgeni Water tries to manage its proliferation regularly through spraying.
He said the main causes of rapid growth and spread are nutrients in the water that are washed downstream, and heavy rainfall that washes weeds into the dam.
“Before the implementation of Covid-19 level 5 lockdown, casual workers were engaged to control the spread and eradicate hyacinth in Inanda Dam, but work could not be conducted because of restrictions. Similarly, work could not be conducted under level 4.
“Umgeni Water conducts clearing operations of hyacinth regularly, sometimes on its own and sometimes in partnership with other stakeholders,” said Harichunder.
He said Umgeni Water was examining the possibility of aerial spraying to try to manage the spread of hyacinth, adding that Umgeni Water has a scientific department to oversee and managing the catchment areas.
He said should the youth co-operative require help they should apply through the social development unit.
He said Umgeni Water does not abstract water from the points in the dam where hyacinth is present.
Inanda Dam supplies raw water to Wiggins Water Works for treatment and supply to ethekwini metro. The water, in turn, is supplied to parts of Durban.