The heavens have opened and we are receiving much needed rain in most parts of South Africa.
The water has brought relief to our drought-stricken country.
Water is life, but can also be deadly if we don’t act responsibly. We need to keep our rivers clean and clear to ensure that the water flows freely.
Using our rivers and streams as dumps leads to flooding as rubbish blocks the natural flow of the rivers and forces the water to find alternative courses.
Flooding is a disaster because roads and homes are destroyed.
The rubbish in our rivers and streams also leads to the blockage of water canals and bridges.
This leads to the destruction of infrastructure as bridges and roads are destroyed by the resulting floods.
Floods sweep away anything in the path of the water, including people, animals, trees, infrastructure and private property.
Keeping our rivers clean and free of pollution has health benefits as it prevents the outbreak of waterborne diseases.
As the rain falls, the rivers come back to life and flow again, taking everything in their path along.
It is crucial that we don’t dump any waste in our rivers and streams.
We recently lost some precious lives due to flash floods. The rubbish blocked canals, and then the water forced its way over bridges and roads.
Let us keep our water resources as clean as possible to avoid unnecessary disasters.
Themba Khoza, Mbombela
