River rehab: prevention is better than cure
It is quick, easy and cheap to damage natural water resources, but difficult and expensive to rehabilitate them. “The highest priority when it comes to river management should therefore be to avoid this damage in the first place,” says soil conservation engineer Hans King.
He points out that it can cost millions of rands to fix such a problem, with the cost increasing significantly over time as the situation worsens and spreads to other areas.
To prevent this damage, the natural flow of the river should be maintained as far as possible.
“Erosion and deposition of sediment in rivers are natural phenomena that should not be interfered with. If a river is unnaturally disturbed by bulldozing or the infestation of woody alien vegetation, such as black wattle, for
