Glyphosate: Departments to advise on the way forward

Following complaints in the public domain about the spraying of the chemical, glyphosate, to clear alien invasive plants from the Vaal River, the Ministers of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Ms Barbara Creecy, and Water and Sanitation, Mr Senzo Mchunu, in a joint statement on Saturday (17 February) said they and all relevant parties have agreed to determine whether the clearing methods followed, were in line with the regulatory environment.

It was said that the departments will now devise a future plan that ensures that the clearing of the alien invasive plants is done in a manner that poses no harm to the environment.

Once that process is concluded, the Departments will issue a further statement on the way forward.

Apart from the sparying of glyphosate, over 400 weevils have been released in the Vaal River on Thursday 15 February in an effort to halt the growth of water lettuce (Pistia Stratiotes) that has fast become a crises on the Vaal River.

Water lettuce is a poisonous and highly invasive free-floating freshwater weed that is found in water bodies and slow-moving waterways in warm regions. It was first seen in SA in the Suikerbosrivier in 2021.

Although water lettuce and water hyacinths are different species, both produce thousands of seeds that remain viable for years in the sediment.

During the release of the weevils and hoppers, dr. Leslie Hoy, Manager of Environmental Services at Rand Water, shared the integrated approach in managing water lettuce and hyacinth on the Vaal. This include physical removal, biocontrol, and chemical application.

Spraying of the herbicide Glyphosate on the Vaal was done for the first time last week Tuesday by professional crop sprayers and drone operators.

Rand Water earlier stated that the application of all herbicides used on the project has been approved by both the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, and the Department of Water and Sanitation South Africa “and they are set at a sub-lethal dose because we are implementing an integrated approach”.

Parys Gazette earlier reported on Prof. Anthony Turton’s warning that no eutrophic system in SA has ever been effectively rehabilitated. He explained that a eutrophic system has high levels of nutrients, typically phosphate and nitrate, usually associated with sewage return flows.

“We are polluting our drinking water systems with untreated sewage, and this simple fact has major economic and social consequenses over time,” Turton said.

He added that the cost of making this water safe for human consumption will be passed onto the consumer. The logical solution is to stop polluting our rivers with untreated sewage.

The excessive growth of invasive plants such at water lettuce and hyacinth in the Vaal River can lead to a series of ecological problems including the suffocation of other aquatic plants, and can negatively affect the viability of other aquatic animals. It can also clog water pumps on the river bank and cause damage to farmers’ equipment.

Meanwhile Vaal River Rats SA said the community have been nothing short of incredible. They implored the community for the efforts of work and time they have put in to manually remove water lettuce from the Vaal River.

“This is a crisis for the whole country. They do not understand the calamity that is coming their way. Water is life and without that, the country is gone,” Andrew Surtees of Vaal River Rats SA said.