Makana Enviro-News turns 100!
Yes, folks, this is the 100th Makana Enviro-News column to be published in Grocott’s Mail! We have achieved this milestone after compiling the column on a two-weekly basis (except over the Christmas holiday period) for more than four years.
Makana Enviro-News turns 100!
Yes, folks, this is the 100th Makana Enviro-News column to be published in Grocott’s Mail! We have achieved this milestone after compiling the column on a two-weekly basis (except over the Christmas holiday period) for more than four years.
The fi rst column was published on Tuesday, 25 October 2005 after a successful meeting between Lawrence Sisitka, representing the environmental community of Makana, and the then editor of Grocott’s Mail, Nontyatyambo Petros, who was very positive in her response to the request for space to publish news of events and activities in our local environmental arena.
Our team is very grateful for the continued support from the subsequent (and incumbent) editor/sof Grocott’s. We encourage all environmental groups to keep us updated of events so that we can continue to promote participation in environmental activities.
International Year of Biodiversity 2010
The United Nations declared 2010 to be the International Year of Biodiversity. A year to celebrate the huge variety of animals and plants and of the value of biodiversity for our lives.
Our fate as human beings is tightly linked with biodiversity: food, fuel, medicine and other essentials that we simply cannot live without. But this rich diversity is being lost at a greatly accelerated rate because of human activities.
In South Africa we are blessed with magnifi cent diversity in the plant and animal kingdoms. Right here in the Albany area, we have a hot spot of plant diversity, with an area of ± 2 250² km containing at least 2 000 plant species, about 10% of which are endemic to the area.
That is pretty amazing and we ought to be doing what we can to safeguard this variety of species, many of which have medicinal properties.
Visit the International Year of Biodiversity website at www.cbd. int/2010/ to fi nd out about the important role biodiversity plays in our lives and what is happening to it; what people are doing around the world to combat biodiversity loss; how people are celebrating the International Year of Biodiversity; and some of there sources available to you in your celebrations.
Water issues and the 2010 focus of the KCC
At its fi rst committee meeting of the year, the Kowie Catchment Campaign decided to focus on three main issues: sewage leaks (held over from last year) and water quality and water leaks.
Regarding sewage leaks, as a follow-up to a compliance notice issued by the Department of Economic Development and Environmental Affairs (Dedea) to Makana Municipality (see Enviro-News of 2 Feb.), Quintus Hahndiek and Jan Kapp were invited by the muni to visit the sites in question and, according to Hahndiek, the majority of these sewage sites had been cleaned up and pumped out.
There is still serious concern, however, about the sewage works working way above its designed capacity. Members of the public are encouraged to report sewage leaks to Hahndiek at Dedea, corner of Huntley St and Coles Lane, 046 622 7216. Water quality issues have been hitting the headlines of late.
We await regular publication of water quality data as has been promised by the Municipal Manager, but more urgently we need to be reassured that our water quality is being competently managed, as this has implications for our long-term health, something which does not seem to have been grasped by our municipal offi cials.
Our aged infrastructure also needs attention, so that our precious water in a water-stressed catchment is not simply leaking away.
