City ‘pools’ resources to tackle Botanic Gardens drainage

PATHWAYS have turned into pools at the Durban Botanic Gardens where the eThekwini Municipality is hard at work to address an ongoing drainage issue. There are 18 gardening staff responsible for general Gardens maintenance, covering over 15 hectares of various cultivated garden areas, a nursery and plant collections.

This is according to the spokesperson for the eThekwini Municipality, Msawakhe Mayisela, who added that several stakeholders have put their heads together to find a long-term solution to the drainage issue.
“We are working with our engineering colleagues from our City’s Coastal Stormwater and Catchment Department on a new cut-off drainage system to help solve the drainage challenge at the Gardens. Water and Sanitation are also investigating the source of the water as we suspect there may be water infrastructure beyond the boundary of the Gardens that might need repair,” he said.

This adds to the measures put in place to mitigate the impact of the drainage problem.
“An agricultural drainage system was installed in the lawn area in front of the Orchid House. Recent maintenance work was done last year to remove any blockages from this drain system. Additional channels were also cut in some of the lawn areas adjacent to paths to divert flood waters / excessive groundwater,” said Mayisela.

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He added that the drainage issue has remained a challenge since the April floods with groundwater continually flowing through the gardens.
“This appears to overflow along the juncture where the Berea red soil in the Gardens meets the harbour-bed clay, for example, where our orchid display house is located,” said Mayisela.

The area adjacent to the lake and surrounding paths is most affected.
“The lower area of the Gardens historically has a high-water table and is of shallow gradient. The April floods may have also had an impact on water infrastructure surrounding the Gardens that has in turn exacerbated the problem – the Gardens being at the base of the Berea slope,” explained Mayisela.

“Once we know and understand the source of the water flooding the Gardens paths and lawn areas, the City can then proceed with the repair following which the two cut-off drains can then be installed subject to available funding. The Gardens is also pursuing an extension of our existing agricultural drainage system to keep the affected paths dry,” he added.

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Locals weigh in
Glenwood resident Nicole Klette was happy to see improvements to the gardens on Friday, January 27.

“I thought the garden was looking a bit tired and shabby when I last visited. Now, two weeks later, things are improving and there’s action in the park, although one of the things that does concern me is the drainage. It’s been a problem since last year. It was a problem just after the floods [in April], and then it subsided. Now it’s an issue again, and it hasn’t cleared,” she said.

The Durban Botanic Gardens is a special place for Klette who has been walking the paved pathways for years.
“I visit the gardens at least twice a week – sometimes more. I love coming here. The trees are fabulous, and we enjoy seeing the geese. I bring my grandchildren here, and they love running around,” she said.

Impact of the Trail of lights

Following the annual Trail of Lights festival, maintenance at the Gardens is also geared toward summer refurbishments.
“Having recently dismantled the enormous Trail of Lights lighting and display infrastructure, we are focused on our summer maintenance programme which involves the refurbishment of high-impact lawn areas throughout the Gardens, along with revamping plant beds, grass cutting, weeding, and so on,” said Mayisela.

“The Trail of Lights was a great success with more than 70 000 people attending during the month of December. The Trail of Lights also supports various charities as part of its community focus,” concluded Mayisela.

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