The continued illegal dumping of plastic and other waste material in the Hennops River in Centurion, Tshwane, is harming the health of the residents who live near the river and causing significant damage to the wetland and groundwater.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) discovered this during a recent oversight inspection at the Hennops River. During the oversight inspection, we saw huge mounds of illegal dumping and recycling activities. Plastic is floating in the river, hanging from trees, and smoke is rising from the recycled items that are being burnt.
See photos and video here, here, here, and here.
The illegal dumping occurs on property owned by the Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG). The situation poses a significant threat to the environment, public health, and the integrity of the surrounding ecosystem, leading to further pollution of the Hennops River ecosystem. Last August, the City of Tshwane erected a custom-made river trap. This initiative was advocated by Tarryn Johnston, founder of the Hennops River Revival Project, who approached Outsurance for funding. Outsurance assisted with this through its StaffHelpingSAOut initiative.
It is concerning that while efforts are made to prevent litter from entering the river system from higher up the Hennops River it is being contaminated at the property owned by GPG and further downstream. This accumulates, leading to the plastic decaying into microplastics and the proliferation of cyanobacteria (also known as blue-green algae) which pose health risks to humans and animals. Through the Portfolio Committee on Environment in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, the DA will push the GPG to abide by the National. Environmental Management Act (NEMA), 1998 (Act no 107 of 1998), Section 24. This section states that the government must prevent pollution and environmental degradation.
The DA will be meeting with bioremediation specialists before the end of January to provide viable and efficient solutions that can be implemented across the waterways of Gauteng to address this crisis. The pollution of our waterways has been neglected for years, despite repeated warnings and requests that this be addressed by the DA in order to maintain a safe water system.