Day 5 Hennops Restoration Campaign by Willem Snyman fresh.ngo
‘Day five started early reporting sewerage leaks found around the Kaalfontein wetland, its tributaries and nearby streams. Locations were given to Johannesburg Water’s General Manager and attended to urgently. He was also informed of the burial of their sewerage mains and building on their servitudes. The illegal wetland dumping was reported to the highest authorities. Swift action is needed to stop these problems that have reached a crisis level. Rubbish needs to be cleared which has accumulated in heaps everywhere and the area restored which is currently trapped in chaos, filth and lawlessness. An attendant problem being the air pollution from the burning of tyres to retrieve the scrap wire inside. This beautiful source area must be saved, healed and maintained with proper rubbish removal, stopping and immediate reporting of sewerge leaks and the restoration of green areas as parks with clean flowing streams.
We moved to the the Duduza Wetland in the morning on the eastern side of the Kaalspruit to initiate a community cleanup for the following day. The area is comparatively cleaner and the people more relaxed - an almost rural atmosphere. The problem here is that most of the rubbish has been dumped into the cental wetland over years due to the apparently irregular and lack of waste removal. A meeting was held with the helpful councillor and the waste department who organised a truck for the cleanup today to remove the waste and tackle the heaps of rubbish built up over years.
With the aid of Reilina, a graceful woman living in the township, who has been helping from the start, we spoke with the people and the community leaders who will mobilise the residents today. There is enthusiasm here and we expect a fairly large turnout, starting at eight today. We poured some more Effective-microbacteria into the river stream and followed the stream to its nearby clear source. Mobilizing enthusiasts from neighbouring areas, we hope for a great show of community spirit. With the bags fetched from the DEA and the car filled to the roof by A1 Fruits and Vegetables, our friendly Laudium green grocer, to give to the people after the cleanup. We hope to restore this central perennial wetland and stream as a clean freshwater park by first removing the huge volumes of trash today, then planting trees and plants on the banks. The well-kept garden of our host Petrus here is a shining example for what will become a beautiful park for all in this dense community. To restore dignity and respect to their environment in this low income informal settlement - a tranquil green central park area with a permanent stream, one of the strong fountain sources of the Hennops River.’
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