Yesterday, Wednesday, 11 May, the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation Councillor Zahid Badroodien joined the Water and Sanitation Directorate team who was busy cleaning the Westlake River in preparation for winter. This is part of a broader maintenance plan to clean and prepare river system assets to accommodate increased flow due to rainwater that is expected to enter inland waterways over the upcoming rainy season.

The City’s river system assets are extensive, comprising of canals, rivers, culverted (i.e. closed) rivers and tributaries, ponds (within the flood plain / river corridor), riverine wetlands (within the flood plain / river corridor) vleis and stormwater dams.

The City has budgeted R75m for the maintenance plan to clean the river system in the 2022/2023 financial year, which helps prepare it for winter. To date, R54m of the R70m available budget for this financial year has been spent on the maintenance of the river system assets across the metro.

‘It was great to see the ongoing effort being put into cleaning the Westlake River yesterday and reports of work also being down at other parts of our river system to ensure these assets are able to accommodate the increased capacity of rainwater that is expected to come during winter.

‘The Water and Sanitation teams have been hard at work to clean our canals, rivers, ponds etc over the past few months, as we lead up to winter and work is still taking place. This is done using various means depending on the site, such as removing vegetation, silt and litter, as well as dredging, which uses excavators to remove accumulated sediments/silt deposits, including invasive water plants, litter and solid waste.

‘Teams have also been cleaning litter traps, fences, etc, and these are also monitored for additional cleaning where necessary.

‘The benefits of the maintenance programme is not only to help prepare the river network for winter, but is also one way to assist with improving the water quality in our rivers.

‘As a City, we are doing our bit and residents are reminded that they also have a part to play. Please don’t use river systems as dumping grounds for your waste, including your unwanted furniture, car parts and other waste items. Use the solid waste services that are provided by Urban Waste Management Directorate. Let’s work together to improve the health of our inland waterways and get ready for winter,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation Councillor Zahid Badroodien.

Source: City Of Cape Town