Vaal River: Support needed in fight against superweed

Save the Vaal Environment (SAVE), a non-profit organisation formed to protect the Vaal River and its environment, has teamed up with the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), the Rand Water Board, communities on the river, concerned citizens and corporations, including Weelee and LottoStar, to fast-track the removal of the water lettuce before the onset of winter.

“With the water lettuce growing a third of its volume every month, time is of the essence and we need all the help we can get to remove the invasive plant before temperatures plunge.

“During winter, mature water lettuce wilts and dies, but not before producing copious amounts of seeds.

“These buoyant seeds will float further downstream and when temperatures exceed 20°C, they’ll bloom at an uncontrollable rate,” says Derek Holmes, a representative of SAVE.

In full bloom, the water lettuce forms a dense mat, completely covering a water surface.

At this point, water flow is reduced, water quality is degraded, oxygen is starved, fishing and boating is impossible, and the waterway becomes a breeding ground for mosquitoes and bilharzia-carrying snails.

SAVE’s extraction teams and local communities are working day and night and so far, have removed over 150 000 cubic meters of water lettuce.

“The donations received from Weelee and LottoStar allows us to tackle this national crisis with more manpower and machinery.

“While this will not completely eradicate water lettuce from the Vaal, it will curb it to a controllable level so that future infestations can be dealt with through the deployment of weevils for example,” says Holmes.

“It is crucial to take immediate and effective measures to prevent the infestation from spreading further and protect the Vaal’s health and vitality,” he concludes.

To donate or to get involved, please reach out to save@save.org.za.