eThekwini Municipality has heeded the cries of concerned Toti residents and plans are underway to rehabilitate the town’s rivers.
“The municipality has deployed a team of workers who are part of the Expanded Public Works Programme to address the issue of water hyacinth in Toti rivers,” said eThekwini Municipality head of communications, Tozi Mthethwa.
“Once the manual clearing has been done, we will then release bio agents to further control the water hyacinth.
This is a complex and labour intensive job, which cannot be completed within a short space of time.
While this function is not our mandate as the city, but that of the Water Affairs Department, we cannot fold our arms and not act.
The municipality is however also in the process of engaging the national Department of Water Affairs.”
One person who is sceptical about the municipality’s promises is chairman of Toti Canoe Club, Mark Pontes, who has seen his club membership decimated by the growth of water hyacinth on the Toti River.
“They told me a team of 45 people would start about a month ago,” said Mark. “We were about to put the bugs in the river when they stopped us. I think they think time will get rid of us.”
