For a dumbo like me , wetlands were just soggy patches that one encountered and ruined shoes and socks . Little did I realise the important role that wetlands play , and lambasted myself for not having appreciated them more before . Simply put , they function like our kidneys : they filter the stuff through .
In understanding the role of wetlands , we need to look at their enemies : greedy property developers who use wetlands as a dumping ground , as opposed to the good ones who use wetlands as an integral part of their planning process .
The starting point is to look at the policies that support wetlands . Wetlands are a health issue , a water issue , an environmental issue , a construction , mining and building issue , and they all have to work within the framework of the National Water Resource Strategy 2 ( NWRS2 ) currently doing the rounds , which , in turn , falls under the National Water Act of 1998 .
The following is an extract from Chapter 13 of the NWRS2 regarding monitoring and information management : “ This includes quantity and quality and addresses rainfall , streams , rivers , reservoirs , wetlands , estuaries and groundwater . The aim is to provide information for the allocation , regulation , pricing , cost recovery , control , compliance monitoring and enforcement at local , regional and national levels and for internationally shared waters .”
So far from being a soggy marshland , wetlands form an integral part of the water network and supply chain .
The definition of a wetland , as provided by the Department of Water and Sanitation ( DWS ), is : “ Land which is transitional between terrestrial and aquatic systems where the water table is usually at or near the surface , or the land is periodically covered with shallow water and which supports vegetation typically adapted to life in saturated soil .” networking contributor tech news industry environment infrastructure municipalities
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