TO commemorate the International Day of Action for Rivers on Tuesday, March 14, local non-profit organisation Adopt a River, together with eThekwini Municipality and Umgeni Water, headed to the Umgeni River mouth that runs into the Indian Ocean. International Day of Action For Rivers, observed on March 14 every year, is a day that is dedicated to saving, celebrating, and creating awareness about the importance of rivers.

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Adopt a River operations manager Azile Mpukwana said that the Umgeni River is heavily polluted, especially with polystyrene materials which not many companies want to recycle.

Adopt a River focuses on community-based solutions to the myriad of river health issues in the province. Coming up this Saturday, on March 18, is Global Recycling Day, and Adopt a River will be supporting the #Clean Blue Lagoon beach clean-up.

“We encourage the public to be part of these monthly clean-ups because river health and beach health are equally important to ensuring a clean and healthy ecosystem,” said Mpukwana.

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Last year in July, Adopt a River launched the Adopt a Beach initiative which sees the organisation hosting beach clean-ups on every last Sunday of the month. “We have different sites where we host clean-ups; there is uShaka Beach, Battery Beach, then there is Bike and Bean, Beachwood Country Club, Umhlanga Beach and Umdloti Beach,” said Mpukwana.

For more information or to get involved in any of these initiatives, follow Adopt a River on Facebook and Instagram or visit the website https://adoptariversa.org/

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