Centurion Rekord - February 8, 2019
“There are people who use the water for personal hygiene or cleaning, and don’t realise the amount of toxins they dump in there.”
Eager volunteers will be putting on their gloves and protective gear to lend a hand cleaning up the highly polluted Hennops River in two weeks’ time.
The next clean-up initiative will be in Mashimong Park in Tembisa – which will include the Sedibeng stream as it connects to the Hennops River – on 22 February at 08:00 sharp.
“The idea is to clean our environment and heal our water,” said Katherine Fillmore, clean-up organiser.
The clean-up is an initiative by non-profit organisations such as Hennops Blue Horizon, Life 4 You Foundation, Destination Green Recycling and Morning Star.
Organisers will provide volunteers with sandwiches and water on the day.
Fillmore also wants to promote communication among residents in Tembisa and educate school learners about the implications of pollution in the river.
“There are many schools along the river we will be approaching, educating children about the effects of throwing away cans, papers and bags. People don’t understand the long-term effects of non-recyclable products on the environment.
“One of the biggest issues is the damage disposable nappies do to the river. There are people who use the water for personal hygiene or cleaning, and don’t realise the amount of toxins they dump in there.”
Hennops Blue Horizon wants to hold these clean-up initiatives monthly.
“We would like to ask people in the community of Tembisa to get involved, to communicate their concerns with us and to show us how the dirty water affects their way of life,” she says.
“This will be our second clean-up day; the previous one was on Mandela Day, but we’ve realised we cannot wait that long between clean-ups as the problem is increasing,” she concluded.
If you would like to get involved, feel free to contact Katherine Fillmore at Hennops Blue Horizon.
Another Hennops river clean-up initiative will be held in Centurion on 23 February, managed by Willem Snyman.
Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to editorial@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
Source: https://rekordcenturion.co.za/163779/volunteers-clean-hennops-river-tembisa/