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The significance of this action is to ensure that ultimately less land-based pollution ends up in the Knysna estuary. The Bongani river is part of a catchment which flows into the Knysna estuary through dense rural and urban areas. It can be traced from the northern areas of Khayalethu and Bongani, then through the industrial area and enters the estuary at the Ashmead channel. The Khayalethu River is one of the tributaries that connects with the Bongani River. According to the Knysna Municipality”s environmental division, “nearly everything that can be found on land eventually makes its way to a stream or river. This is because most of the Knysna area forms part of a river catchment.

Sections of these two rivers are cleaned on a weekly basis by 30 local women as part of the River Health Programme initiated by the Knysna Municipality. Although this contributes to minimizing the amount of waste in the catchment, it is still important to raise environmental awareness in the communities and to change attitudes towards the use of the river. This Programme forms a platform for Marine Week campaigning for clean river catchments and a healthy estuary.

Although authorities are still counting bags from today”s mass clean- up, Melaney Barrath, People and Conservation Officer for the Knysna section of the Garden Route National Park says she is certain this year”s count will be far less than previous years.

Today”s mass clean- up was initiated by the Knysna Municipality and SANParks. By helping clean the river, communities living along the rivers can get more involved and help spread the message.

This same message will be relayed to more citizens through a “dive for debris” planned for Saturday, the 11th of October at 16:00 from the NSRI (Thesen Island). Divers will collect as much litter from underwater (Knysna estuary) as possible.

Citizens as well as EPWP workers get a brief from authorities (Councillor Gomo for Khayalethu, Knysna Municipality and SANParks officials)

The youngest collector of pollution