Keeping Swartkops alive
The Eastern Cape rivers are being wiped out, with the delicate ecosystem under threat from sewage and water hyacinths.
By Helen Crooks
Brian Witbooi
Access to clean water is a basic human right but, were it not for the ongoing battle being fought by Working for Water, the future could be very bleak for the Eastern Cape’ s rivers.
As the ecosystem comes under threat from human waste and water hyacinth and both marine life and flora fall victim, the responsibility to curtail the situation falls to the Gamtoos Irrigation Board. The authority is responsible for the management of alien vegetation in the Swartkops River system, as well as other provincial projects funded by the Department of Environmental Affairs.
According to area manager Andrew Knipe, the battle for the Swartkops River has been ongoing for the past few years. Steady progress, however, is being made as teams of workers clear and maintain the river and floodplain. Since 2011, the project has cleared more than 765 hectares, with follow-up work completed on over 2 672 hectares.
“ Water hyacinths in particular need repeated follow-ups and will re-establish very quickly if we stop clearing operations,” says Knipe, adding that the population in the lower reaches of the Swartkops River was the lowest it had been in years.
“ However, the problem is compounded by industrial and agricultural pollutants entering the river,” he adds.
As pollution levels escalate, this, Knipe warns, is not a problem that is going to go away any time soon and with concern explains,“ One of the problems is that the capacity of the Kelvin Jones water treatment works is too small to cope with the vast amounts of sewage being fed into it, so sewage is released into the river,” Knipe points out, explaining that when pollution levels are high, the water hyacinth population explodes, doubling every 14 days.
If the water hyacinths get out of control, they can cover the entire river, absorbing all the oxygen from the water, killing fish and plant life.
The solution in part, lies in clearing the river of these aquatic weeds, as well as the surrounding land of alien vegetation, including eucalyptus( bluegum), acacia saligna( Port Jackson willow), and sesbania.
Overseeing this mammoth task is project manager James Jansen, who works with an annual budget of R1.5- million and manages three teams of 12 members each.
“ One of the major challenges is that we’ re treating the symptoms, not the cause,” he says. However, clearing alien vegetation from the river banks has exposed the river to more sunlight, allowing for the faster breakdown of nutrients.
16 Water Sewage & Effluent January / February 2018