The City’s Water and Sanitation Department is dredging a section of the Black River. The alien invasive plant removal and dredging operation, with excavators, will now run up to 24 hours a day, from Wednesday, 29 September to Monday, 4 October 2021 and may possibly be extended to Saturday, 30 October 2021. This is being done as part of ongoing river maintenance and inland water quality improvement programmes. The noise of this maintenance may affect the surrounding areas, and residents are being notified.

The City of Cape Town is taking action to dredge a section of the Black River running alongside the N2. This operation will be between the M52 Raapenberg Road bridge and where the M17 Jan Smuts Drive crosses the river. A section of the Black River upstream from Jan Smuts Drive has already been dredged.

There will be a few excavators on site running up to 24 hours a day to get this job done as quickly as possible. The required permit for noise exemption has been approved by the City’s Health Department (as required by the Environment Conservation Act 1989), and the management of the adjacent Rondebosch Golf Course and residents in surrounding areas are being notified.

Over time, this area has silted up and become concentrated with both pollution and alien invasive vegetation. The polluted top layer of sediment will be removed leaving cleaner sand underneath. Making the river deeper will reduce the local flooding risk going forward. Litter will be removed, as well as alien invasive vegetation like fast-growing water hyacinth, which clogs up the river in this section.

The City regrets any inconvenience caused, however this operation will also help to address waterway pollution.

Source: City Of Cape Town