Pond clearing starts at Umbilo Park

COMPLAINTS about the rapidly growing water hyacinth in the ponds at Umbilo Park have not fallen on deaf ears. Ward councillor Nicole Graham has announced that Parks staff have been working to clear the ponds.

Graham received numerous reports from concerned residents regarding this problem, and was informed by Parks that work started on 11 April. Staff will be removing plants manually and thereafter aquatic herbicides will be used to maintain the dam.

One resident, Carrin Martin, said she felt this problem was 'tragic'.

“The water plants get out of hand every few years because the staff don't clear them when they first appear, they seem to leave them until there is a crisis, which then takes months to address. The water lettuce has completely covered the pond and has resulted in all the bird life leaving,” she said.

Martin said there was a similar problem in 2011 and she felt there was no reason for plans not being in place not only to prevent the excessive growth, but to remove it.

“It takes months to reach this condition, someone should be held accountable for sheer neglect. There is absolutely no excuse for it reaching this extent,” she said.

Recently, resident Charles van Heerden reported that he was concerned that the hyacinth in the pond was very thick and was causing a problem for birds. He said fish were dying because of a lack of oxygen and water birds were not able to swim away from predators fast enough.

Graham said she had been in contact with the municipality and raised the concerns about the state of the ponds. “This is a huge green lung and natural resource in the area and I will keep checking up with Parks to ensure it is regularly maintained,” she said.