UNDERSTANDING AND REVITALIZING THE KUILS RIVER CATCHMENT – BY ENVIRONMENTAL CLUBS IN MFULENI, CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA –

Pollution Types and Health/Environmental Implications

BY Manzomthombo High School ENVIRONMENTAL CLUB

“Wetlands – A curse in disguise? is THAT what they are becoming?”

Outside Manzomthombo High School

Wetlands are special places where water sticks around for a while. Some are always wet, while others get soaked seasonally. They’re home to different kinds of plants and animals. In South Africa, there are lots of wetlands, and one of them is right next to our school, Manzomthombo Secondary School.

People in Mfuleni have been wondering why these wetlands have been empty for so long when we need more places to live. So, folks from our informal settlements had an idea: use the wetland as a dumping ground.

However, this decision has caused problems. Now, there’s trash everywhere – papers, diapers, rotten food, and more. It makes the area around our school look bad. On hot days, there’s a stinky smell that stays all day, making it tough to breathe. Rats and cockroaches have become our unwelcome guests. They run around our classrooms, which isn’t fun. And we worry about our food because the kitchen is close to the dumpsite. Even though the government sends people to clean it up every two weeks, it doesn’t take long for the trash to come back.

Blaming others won’t help. What will help is educating our community. We need to learn about healthy ways to utilize these empty areas and how our actions affect our school and the environment. Education will help us take better care of these special wetlands, which, in turn, will take care of us.