New catchment system to be installed on Hennops River
Erecting these catchments plays a vital role in reducing the amount of pollution that the river is subjected to daily.
The construction of a new catchment system at the Hennops River is on the cards, as the Hennops Revival Project is hard at work to ensure it will be operational as soon as possible.
Project’s Tarryn Johnston hoped the catchment would be installed by the end of September before the rainy season began.
These specially designed catchments are meant to trap pieces of both large and small litter that fall into the river.
The river suffers dangerous levels of pollution mainly because refuse is dumped in the river and industrial pollution.
Erecting these catchments plays a vital role in reducing the amount of pollution that the river is subjected to daily.
“It is vital that these catchments work,” said Johnston.
“There is so much pollution and litter that falls into this river and without these traps, it gets completely out of control.”
Due to the high amount of rainfall in the area, the river regularly floods.
Strong currents can even fell trees, which get caught in the catchment systems and damages them.
Currently, only one catchment is operational in the river, one snapped while the other sunk to the bottom.
Johnston and her team plan on reinforcing the existing one with steel cables to prevent it from suffering the same fate as the others.
“It is almost guaranteed that the river will flood again in the summer,” she said.
“If we don’t complete this job before the heavy rains come, then this could become worse than it already is.”
She said her team has enough members to build the traps, their only obstacle at the moment is funding.
“This a major undertaking. If we want this river to survive, we need to build the catchment to be as strong and efficient as possible.
“We are a non-profit organisation, so it’s not like we have an abundant cash flow; everything we do is made possible through donations.”
Johnston also urged residents to be more mindful of how they treat their waste.
“Our team does a good job of clearing it out, but people must understand that we all share the same water and we need to approach it with that mindset.”
Johnston and her team welcomed any donation from the people of Centurion.
To find out how to get involved, visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/hennopsrevival.
Do you have more information about the story?
Please send us an email to editorial@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram
