Hyacinth at Harties Dam signals slow death of our environment

Tswelopele Makoe

AT Hartebeespoort Dam, a tranquil body of water that once served as a vital resource for wildlife and local communities has been plagued by an invasive, rapidly-spreading menace: the water hyacinth. This vibrant yet destructive plant has transformed the dam into a hazardous, stagnant swamp. What was once a serene landscape of biodiversity is now a scene of environmental devastation. The vastly pervasive hyacinth that has enthralled the once-open waters of the Hartbeespoort Dam in the North West has been attributed to the pollutants that vitiate the waters and has been a consistent challenge since the 1960s. The hyacinth plants, which stretches hundreds of metres into the dam and can rise well over a metre in height, is distinguished by its rapid growth rate. In fact, the water hyacinth has…

You're reading a preview of

Sunday Independent (Digital) - 1 Issue, 2025-03-23

DiscountMags is a licensed distributor (not a publisher) of the above content and Publication through Zinio LLC. Accordingly, we have no editorial control over the Publications. Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers or other information or content expressed or made available by third parties, including those made in Publications offered on our website, are those of the respective author(s) or publisher(s) and not of DiscountMags. DiscountMags does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, truthfulness, or usefulness of all or any portion of any publication or any services or offers made by third parties, nor will we be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on information contained in any Publication, or your use of services offered, or your acceptance of any offers made through the Service or the Publications. For content removal requests, please contact Zinio.