Parkdene residents clean up Meul River

GEORGE NEWS - Parkdene residents turned out in full force on Saturday 14 May to help clean up the banks of the Meul River, one of the most polluted waterways in George and collected about 200 bags of recyclables in just two hours.

Unlike other rivers in the Garden Route, the 9km long Meul River does not originate from the Outeniqua Mountain catchments.

Instead, it begins in the industrial areas next to Rosemoor and flows past Blue Mountain Village Estate into the sea at Ballots Bay, adjacent to Victoria Bay.

Organised by the Garden Route Dam Action Group (Gardag), Strandloper Projects and the Landmark Foundation, the clean-up involved residents of Saturnus Street and learners of Parkdene Secondary School.

Henque Waste conducted a "weigh and pay" system, paying for each bag of waste for recycling.

"George is dissected by rivers such as the Meul, Gwaiing, Malgas, Camfersdrif, Kat, Swart and Modderrug that wind through the suburbs," says Desireé du Preez, chairperson of Gardag.

"Although these river habitats are supposed to act as 'green lungs', heavy invasions of alien plants and unfettered littering have turned these areas into 'garbage routes'."

George Municipality recently launched a R31-million upgrade of the Meul Sewer Pump Station situated on the banks of the river in Parkdene.

Mark Dixon of the Strandloper Project welcomes the pump station upgrade. "Our surveys have shown that in the past the Meul was polluted by a combination of effluent overflow when the pump station failed, and plastic pollution from illegal dump sites along the embankments," he says.

Councillor Bazil Petrus of Ward 8, which includes Parkdene, says regular community clean-ups are necessary to conserve the environment for future generations.

The project was organised by a number of nature-conscious groups. In just two hours, about 200 bags of recyclables were collected by 60 Parkdene residents. From left are Pauline Lourens and Ken Gie of Gardag, Monica Vaccaro of the Landmark Foundation, Johanna Hartnick, Chrizelda Bostander and Andries Kamfer of Saturnus Street, Pauline Cloete.