Tag Archive for: Palmiet River watch
Pollution turns the Palmiet River red – 25 March 2014
The Palmiet River ran bright red after it was recently polluted with an unknown substance.
Mariclair Smit | 25 March 2014 08:00
MEMBERS of Palmiet River Watch were shocked after it was recently reported that the river had once again been subjected to some form of pollution.
Leon Grobbelaar, a member of the watch reported, on WhatsApp, a mobile messaging application used by the watch to monitor the river, a bright red discolouration near Cherry Road, Pinetown.
Lee D’Eathe, the founder of the watch, said “There has been a remarkable improvement in the water quality of the Palmiet River. The river has been running clear and we have received fewer reports of pollution. At times we have even received reports of fish beginning to return to the waters,” said D’Eathe.
Westville Conservancy Newsletter – Dec 2013
Palmiet River Watch
Lee D’Eathe has been instrumental in setting up the Palmiet River Watch. Folk who live, work and play on the river, all the way from where the Palmiet River joins the Umgeni River at 0km, to its source in Manors at ±22.50 km, are working together with officials to locate and stop undesirable activates and water pollution.
A good working relationship is being developed with officials, with a commitment to respond to the issues as they arise; and they have already had some successes.
By communicating with one another, property owners along the Palmiet River determine the important details and roughly where the pollution has entered the river; and in this way, meaningful complaints are being submitted to the relevant authority to investigate, refer, follow-up and conclude with a report back.
Lee reports that there are now a total of 53 points that are covered with individuals with a vested interest in our river environment.
SMS’s, phone calls, emails and particularly WhatsApp are proving very effective tools for rapid communication. Contact Lee on 083 461 5964 or BusinessUnusualLee@gmail.com
Palmiet River on the brink – 16 Oct 2013
The Palmiet river is in a very poor state, according to the Palmiet River Watch
ADULTS and children alike were fascinated by the range of insects and animals they found in the Palmiet River water on Saturday. Nine different species were found in the river when the Palmiet River Watch conducted river health assessments at the weekend.
This followed a presentation where the enthusiastic participants were taught by environmental consulting company GroundTruth how to undertake river health assessments by identifying 13 groups of river life which constitute the miniSASS (Stream Assessment Scoring System).
Under the watchful eye of Anelile Gibixego and Mahomed Desai from GroundTruth, the river health was calculated, and a sample of water was taken for later laboratory analysis.
Lee D’Eathe who initiated the Palmiet River Watch said the life forms gathered from the river and later released were used in a simple formula which showed that the condition of river health is extremely poor.
“Gibixego pointed to the algae growth which covered the sand and rocks confirmed that the Palmiet river is in a very poor state. This was just one of many assessments that will be taken over time in an on-going community exercise to monitor the health of the Palmiet River and make everyone aware of the plight of our environment,” he said.
Municipal officials registered their support and confirmed that the river watch community reporting was contributing positively to their work success. Sheila Schulte recalled the signs at the Cascades that had warned bathers not to swim because of the danger of bilharzia, and Chris Fennemore, who has had bilharzia, advised people to be cautious as the water could, at times, have very high levels of pathogens and parasites.
“In the last few weeks there have been reports of repeated pollution including raw sewage, silt deposits, detergents and chemical waste which had changed the colour, clarity and smell of the river and caused bubbles and foam.
The very existence of an active Palmiet river watch community is a deterrent in itself, as polluters will now be held accountable,” said D’Eathe.
Anyone interested in committing to improving the river environment can contact Lee D’Eathe on 083 461 5964 or BusinessUnusualLee@gmail.com.
Back-up generator pumps life back into river – 31 July 2013
New Back-up generators will prevent raw sewerage and industrial waste from being discharged into the Palmiet River during power outages.
31 July 2013 | Mariclair Smit