Over R100 000 needed to clean up foreign plant covering Lonehill Dam
David Movundlela has been fighting a loosing battle, together with his team, trying very hard to clean up the foreign plant that is currently covering Lonehill Dam like a blanket. He has since found out its name, where it comes from, and solutions to defeat it once and for all.
Efforts to clean up the foreign plant covering the Lonehill Dam seem to going in vain, as this stubborn, and very aggressive, plant has left Donald Movundlela, an environmentalist, with his hands on top of his head.
Movundlela, at first, did not know what the plant was called. He said, initially, he thought it was nymphaea alba, but after thorough research he has found that it is, in fact, salvinia molesta, or Kariba weed.
The cleanup was supposed to be a job done within a week or two, according to Movundlela, but it is taking forever because as soon as they are able to get rid of the plant from a portion of the dam, it is back to square one the following day.
“We thought of using chemicals, but because there are fish in there, we cannot take that risk,” he said.
Movundlela, through thorough online research, was able to find the origin of the plant. He said, according to Wikipedia, the plant, which infested a large portion of Lake Kariba between Zimbabwe and Zambia, is an aquatic fern and native to south-eastern Brazil.
Salvinia molesta is a free-floating plant that does not attach to the soil, instead it remains buoyant on the surface of a body of water. The fronds are 0.5–4cm long, and broad, with a bristly surface caused by the hair-like strands that join at the end to form eggbeater shapes.
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“The plant comes from Brazil, then Zimbabwe, and sort of made its way to South Africa. This one here is thriving and grows back quickly because of the sewage that is leaking into the dam. So, that is also making it hard for us to complete the cleanup because it is able to get its nutrients. Even if you remove its stern, it will still grow back again in just two days.”
Movundlela admits that it is draining. He said this is the first time in his career that he has dealt with a plant as stubborn as the salvinia molesta.
“I have done my research, and found that the equipment to remove the plant completely will cost roughly around R150 000. This is going to be a specialised boat with a pipe, like the one they use for cleaning swimming pools, but a bigger one. That is an option, another one is to get a fish tank for the fish, and then drain the water before we can start cleaning. We will then refill the dam, and return the fish, once completed. We are still exploring our options.”
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