Park clean-up gets thumbs up

THE rehabilitation of the Umbilo Ponds Park in Umbilo Road has been welcomed by ward councillor Nicole Graham, who said she hopes the community will be able to utilise the park in the near future.

EThekwini Parks Department has undertaken clean-ups at the park in recent weeks and, according to Graham, is trying to come up with an engineering solution to redirect the water in the park and prevent the existing swamp conditions. Sludge in the park has been cleaned and some of the trees have been cut back during clean-up operations.

Graham said she would try to initiate monthly site visits to the park to ensure the clean-up was not a once-off exercise. “I want the park to be usable. It is such a beautiful natural resource and is worth saving, and making usable for the public again. We aim to label the trees and take school tours to the park in the future,” said Graham.

She said it would take a lot of hard work to get the park back to its former glory. Graham said onsite security was needed and would have to be properly monitored as the problem of vagrants using the park to sleep in, and the existing ponds for bathing and washing, was a huge problem.

“The key is consistency and enforcement,” said Graham, who is optimistic about the future of the park known as Umbilo’s green lung.