A Table View resident is worried about water quality in the Rietvlei canal, saying it could lead to Rietvlei being closed again.
The City closed the vlei in March after toxic algae was found in the water.
The closure scuttled the Milnerton Aquatic Club’s 24-hour challenge scheduled for March 18 (“Rietvlei closure puts a stop to sailing challenge,” Tabletalk, March 22).
The vlei was reopened on Thursday June 29 and the MAC 24-hour challenge was held at the end of last month.
However, Table View resident, Brian Irlam, fears the vlei could be closed again if the City doesn’t do more to keep it free of pollution.
Late last month, he sent Tabletalk pictures of debris and a rubbish in the canal, which, along with the Diep River, flows into the vlei.
“Although I have seen it being cleaned, I feel that they do not do it regularly enough and they do not monitor the canal and Diep River. If the City is so concerned about the water, why would they not monitor the area and keep it maintained on a more regular basis?” said Mr Irlam.
He said he did not want to see the vlei closed again and wanted the City to do more to stop that from happening.
Suzette Little, mayoral committee member for area north, said the City had been cleaning the canal weekly for the past three months.
“This exercise involves removing all floating debris and using crates to remove it from the site.
“We are monitoring the situation and find that the weekly exercise is addressing the issue for now.”
