City of Ekurhuleni invests in rehabilitation of city’s wetlands
City of Ekurhuleni celebrates international wetlands day and plans to look at better practices in restoring and protecting water bodies in the region.
The City of Ekurhuleni has committed resources to the rehabilitation of its wetlands and numerous other bodies of water, including lakes, dams, and ponds, according to international environmental standards.
The plan acts as the city’s roadmap for rehabilitating and restoring wetlands to their natural ecological and hydrological functions through the use of integrated methods such as ongoing chemical and physical cleaning of wetlands and other water bodies as well as biological controls.
Therefore, attempts to rehabilitate the city’s wetlands include the creation of watershed assessment plans for Kaalspruit, Blesbokspruit, Natalspruit, and Jukskei River – all of which have been struggling with soil erosion, elusive alien species like water hyacinth, and poor water quality.
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According to Ekurhuleni’s spokesperson, Zweli Dlamini, the importance of maintaining wetlands through educational awareness campaigns is another important aspect of the city’s strategy for aiding in the restoration of wetlands. This year’s theme is ‘It’s Time for Wetlands Restoration’.
“We have a responsibility to protect the environment and as a city that is rich with water bodies, we remain committed to paying special attention to these. It is also important that looking after the environment has become non-negotiable in recent times considering the threat of climate change,” Dlamini explained.
The city appeals to the general public to help safeguard the local waterways by refraining from dumping foreign things into the dams, lakes, and rivers.
