By Eckart Zollner
The municipal multi-disciplinary team from Midvaal roads, parks, law enforcement and Fire and Rescue put in a tremendous effort in early December to clear the blockage at Salojees bridge, and it can be reported that for the first time in many years, the river is able to pass freely underneath the bridge.
Our volunteer-based river clean-up campaign started activities for the New Year on Saturday morning the 4th of January with a large team of volunteers coming together and focusing their work on clearing the debris on the Eastern side of the weir, at the end of Windsor Avenue. This side continues to cause the biggest concern, as the construction of the culverts is inadequate to allow free passage of driftwood, and we experience frequent blockages on that side. The natural flow of the river curves just ahead of the weir, and pushes all floating material towards the eastern side, causing such blockages.
We have expanded our discussions further to national and provincial level with the relevant authorities and hope to establish clear lines of responsibility to have the structure of the culverts on the eastern embankment altered to allow for clear passage of floating debris.
In the meantime we are planning a further cleanup action using heavy machinery that is able to reach and remove large tree stumps, logs and debris which have accumulated in front of the weir. Here we have to wait for the river flow to subside to allow for safe operation of such machinery on top of the weir. As we are volunteer based and privately funded, we are appealing for financial assistance to help pay for the cost of such an operation and also ask that local residents with access to construction machinery such as a front-end loader or TLB to come forward and assist by making the equipment and an operator available.
The illegal dumping of garden waste and refuse by residents along the path of the river in Henley remain a major problem and worsens the speed at which we have blockages occurring. We encourage residents who witness such dumping of garden waste, to report the guilty party to the Midvaal authorities either telephonically or via the Midvaal mobile app. The recommended legal method to dispose of garden waste is the transfer station in Galloway Street, Meyerton, or through a contracted garden service.
Looking at images of the weir from many years ago, and the attraction it created for recreational activities around it, there is much that still needs to be done to get its condition back to this status safely. Presently the flow of river at the weir represents a dangerous and life-threatening situation, as we have witnessed over the years with many tragic incidents and the last tragic drowning occurring on 22 November 2024. Warning signs and barriers have been erected for that reason, but they continue to be ignored. We have to recognise that increased water flow caused by rapid urbanisation up-stream, industrial waste waters and climate change are all contributing to increased volumes of water having to pass through the course of the river. Residents and visitors to the village need to be extra careful and river crossings or wading along the top of the weir whilst water is flowing over it, presents a significant risk to life and must be stopped.
A huge thanks goes out to the team who continually contribute to the clearing of the debris and the ongoing discussions with the authorities to find a permanent solution to the problematic situation that we find ourselves in.