Rekord Centurion - Bennitt Bartl
Pictures shared on social media show plastic, branches, paper and even what appeared to be a charred dog carcass, floating on the water.
An estimated four tons of litter, including Styrofoam packaging, has accumulated in the Hennops River under a low water bridge in Centurion.
The bridge is located in Riverview Park behind the Supersport Park stadium.
The garbage is believed to have come from further up the river.
Pictures shared on social media show plastic, branches, paper and even what appeared to be a charred dog carcass, floating on the water.
Non-profit organisation FRESH on Tuesday evening mobilised a group of Centurion residents to try to clean up the area.
FRESH director Willem Snyman said the garbage has accumulated under the bridge after obstructions further up river were removed.
“Some trees were cut during a previous clean-up campaign and this has allowed the garbage to flow a little further downstream,” he said.
Now the garbage is damming up under the bridge and Snyman estimated the total mass at around four tons.
“On Tuesday evening we tried to clean some of it but we just don’t have the necessary tools,” he said.
“Some of the Bagaresi (informal waste collectors) who stay nearby also helped us. We managed to clean only a tiny portion.”
Snyman said the river was particularly deep at the point where garbage was accumulating, making it difficult to get into the water to clean it.
“We will spend the week trying to tackle the problem and get more community members and the metro involved,” he said.
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Source: https://rekordcenturion.co.za/160227/tons-of-garbage-accumulating-on-hennops-river/