Paddlers preparing for the upcoming Dusi Canoe Marathon that starts at Camps Drift on 13 February are wrestling with the problems caused by the ever-increasing sand mining operations on the two rivers that play host to the famous canoeing race.
Story: Gameplan Media with photos by Andrew King
Many of the dedicated athletes that have entered the race spend the summer months studying lines down the major rapids, but have reported that the environmental impact of unscrupulous sand miners, particularly on the Umgeni River, is becoming severe.
Illegal sand mining operations cause the biggest problems for both paddlers and the authorities. Keeping tabs on these operations poses a major problem because the mining takes place within a few weeks.
“These guys come in and do their thing and get out,” says Dusi Umgeni Conservation Trust (DUCT) Field Manager, Bart Fokkens. “They don’t spend much time at a particular place and when they leave they disregard the river completely, which poses problems for both the environment as well as the paddlers.”
The sand mining operations on the Umgeni River create huge environmental problems if not done correctly and, with the demand for housing on the rise, people are mining the sand to create concrete blocks in order to try and meet this demand.
“The sand is free which means that anyone can go there and mine the sand, which happens, but the issue doesn’t come from the one person who collects a wheelbarrow of sand – it comes from the huge operations,” says Fokkens.
The DUCT Field Manager says he understands that there is a place for sand mining and it is needed in certain areas of water systems but even these operations need to make sure that they are not adversely affecting the river.
For more information visit www.dusi.co.za, email info@dusi.co.za or phone on 033 394 9994.