Breathing fresh life into Bruma Lake

A R60-million project to rezone and rehabilitate Bruma Lake has started.

City of Johannesburg’s (CoJ) deputy director of communications, Mr Nthatis Modigoane, said the project will end in two years.

He said that the lake was built to intercept the natural watercourse.

“It was an artificial water impoundment, which was designated as a central feature for the commercial node,” he said.

He added that the contamination led to the CoJ rezoning it.

“The lake has been subjected to pollution and siltation problems. This has had a detrimental impact on the hospitality sector and other businesses around the lake. In recognition of the severity of the problem, the CoJ undertook a range of interventions to address the problems relating to silt, litter and pollution. This will also help with developing a sustainable restoration and rehabilitation of the lake,” said Mr Modingoane.

He added that the project will improve the water flow and increase the natural feel in the area.

He said that plants will be planted along the banks.

“We will improve access for the cleaning of debris. We will reduce sediment build-up, which will also reduce problematic odours. This will restore the ecological linkages between upstream and downstream areas. It will also increase sustainability as natural flushing through the channel will limit opportunities for sediment and pollution deposits, as well as restore the habitat opportunities for bird life,” he said.

Mr Modingoane added that the project is expected to revamp the economy of the area, which took a knock.

The ward 118 councillor, Clr Mike Spadino, said the developments will help improve the view of the area.

“We will have more open space in our area. This will also get rid of the bad smells that have been a problem for the past few years. Hopefully the business will come back to the area to give the area more life,” he said.