Dear Lauren Waring (Estuary Pollution)
Dear Lauren Waring
I compose an open letter to you because your claim, once upon a time at a Ward 10 meeting, that you answer all queries and your door is open, was a fiction (not your first) i.e. you have never responded to me.
Despite the many millions that have been spent on repairing or bandaiding the Knysna Estuary pollution problem, the Knysna Municipality is still not getting the basics done.
I have regularly walked or cycled along the Costa Sarda walkway (pavement that runs along the water from Thesen Islands to George Rex Drive). Several times, over the past 6 months, i’ve encountered a gaggle of female, municipal workers who seem more intent on walking slowly and chatting than cleaning. In fact, i’ve never seen them pick up anything.
Below are pictures of tires and a toilet cistern that i have witnessed for more than 6 months now. Initially, i treated this as a small test of the Knysna Municipality’s efficiency/competency but with so much time having passed, and with the fear that more tires will sink into invisibility beneath the bed of the Knysna Estuary, i thought it best to contact you.
Why has there been no supervision of the cleaners? Who is the head of the responsible department? Does he/she not walk at least twice a year along major routes such as Costa Sarda?
I wrote a note to Lauren Waring yesterday and asked if there was any fluoride in the Knysna water supply.
Quick as a flash, she came back to me and reported that there is a 0.1mg/L fluoride occurring naturally and, most importantly, the municipality does not use fluoride in the water supply in any way.
Thumbs up for them!
Thanks Ms Waring.
Great to hear!
ja but what else do they put in the water? We saw a truck load of chlorine arriving, transported in bright yellow bottles. Maybe that was for the poor ol lagoon/ or the waterworks? But seriously our tap water tastes horrible, it shouldn’t have a taste. I drink filtered rainwater.
The particular stretch which Wicked Mike refers to deserves both a compliment, and a scolding. It is clear that someone (SANparks, municipality, who knows) is responsible for planting a long line of trees along the path. That’s great and many thanks to whomsoever it was. On the negative side however, I too have witnessed the whole area covered in litter at the weekend (I’m talking stuff that should be in waste paper bins, not the heavy duty pollution which Mike points to like old tyres and toilet cisterns). There is an obvious reason why the area, which has the potential to be a beauty spot, is so littered. It is frequented by a group of regular hobos who are usually drunk with cheep booze, and spend much of their time raking in the bins. They throw the bin contents onto the ground and leave it there. I’ve challenged these people about their behaviour on two occasions but it ought not to be my job to do so. They are clearly a social problem and the police ought to intervene. If these people were raking in the bins on Main Street and throwing litter all over the street, they would surely be arrested. So what’s the difference with our precious lagoon area?
The municipality should notice if ‘the job’ is being done or not and SANParks, please get your casual employees to be enthusiastic about the very important job they are doing. This should be a team effort, municipality, SANParks, and the citizens all doing their bit.
Update – from Lauren Waring: “Your enquiry has been referred to SANParks who employ the teams to clean up along the lagoon. They are not municipal staff.”
Those things will be gone next time you cycle past, i hope. Thanks for keeping an eye on things. please carry on.
I hope so too.