The Hennops river running through Centurion is an environmental disaster and needs urgent attention, according to a ward councillor.
Centurion ward councillor Peter Sutton this week responded to residents’ complaints about the sick Hennops river.
Sutton said several projects by the Tshwane metro are underway to restore the river and curb pollution.
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These projects include water pollution in conjunction with the department of water affairs; the Centurion Lake project; Hennops Wet Land project; river bank project; recycling pollution next to the river; industrial area pollution into the river and stormwater management.
“The metro is very concerned around the pollution levels in the river,” said Sutton.
He said the quality of the water and the pollution of the water is, however, mandated by national government.
“The metro has no direct effect on this and must work with the other spheres of government to address this.”
ALSO READ: VIDEO: Raw sewage pours into Hennops river
However, the metro do have a catchment management strategy, implemented by the minister of water affairs for the river.
Sutton said these plans are regularly discussed at a regular Hennops catchment meeting attended by metro officials and the department.
The next catchment meeting is scheduled to take place in March.
Sutton said that the department has previously failed to address pollution in the river.
He said Tshwane mayor Solly Msimanga is well aware of the problem and has taken this matter up with the premier of Gauteng.
Sutton also listed the following steps:
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– The Centurion Lake remodelling project started in October 2016 and should be finalised in April 2019. This would give a completely new and fresh look of the lake and Centurion mall once completed.
– In April 2017, the metro held an operation with the Green Scorpions in the Hennopspark industrial area. Four businesses illegally dumping into the river were detected and the necessary steps were taken to deal with that. The metro would continue to have such operations more regularly.
– The metro’s environmental department was looking at ways to manage the informal recyclers who wash recyclable material in the river before selling it.
– The Hennopspark wetland rehabilitation programme was successful and the metro could see it being restored. A number of bird species and wildlife have returned to the area as a result of this. The latest addition is a school of monkeys that returned to the area, migrating up and down the river. There are also otters and a range of bird species.
– To clean the river and remove trees in the water, the Tshwane Metro had to apply for special permission to do so from national government.
“We refuse to sit back and not do nothing until national government takes this seriously,” said Sutton.
“I will continue with my mission to restore the river to an asset to be proud of in Centurion.”
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