The Tshwane metro, Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) and the Environmental Warriors began clean-up operations of the Apies River from the bridge to Capital Park to Van Der Hoff Road in November after heavy rains that flooded the area.
Mbiza said that this is why residents came together to address the issue. The clean-ups have been happening once a month to remove the dirt on the bridge.
“We hope they continue doing so and now it’s more of us taking care of the bridge,” said
Mbiza.
The partners used the mini stream assessment scoring system (miniSASS), a simple and accessible citizen science tool to monitor water quality and health of stream and river systems … to test water quality, clarity and velocity.
“According to the results, the quality is in a critical condition. We are at a stage where
the water is in its worst state, it’s unbearable when we look at the amount of macroinvertebrates we found in the system. Also when you check the clarity, we found that there are a lot of pollutants that are getting in. That indicates to us that we have to go upstream and investigate the catchment to see what is happening. At Apies, at the bridge, the water is in critical condition,” said Mbiza.
Usage can result in infection, rash, and a runny stomach. The partners are not only tackling the Apies River. Sampling started in the Groenkloof nature reserve, to the zoo, bridge, Mayville mall and further upstream. These are the points the partners monitor constantly. Their ending point is Bon Accord, and they don’t venture further into the Hammanskraal area.
The flooding drove us to the point of saying that we have to fix what’s going on. Take all the dirt out so that the water can flow nicely. Sometimes when it overflows it becomes too much and the bridge is closed and traffic has to be diverted to the R80,” Dayel said.
Dayel said the next clean-up is scheduled for May but no date has been agreed to yet. Dayel and Mbiza also call on the community to join the clean-up, finance the volunteers and report illegal dumping.
“We’re planning on going into Pretoria West and educating people on cleaning the system because anything happening upstream ends up stuck at this bridge. People are volunteering, there is no funding, just concerned citizens doing the work. If there could be funding it will assist massively,” said Mbiza.
