Sol slammed for flamingo crisis

SHOULD tens of thousands of flamingos nested at Kimberley’s famous Kamfers Dam not survive the life-threatening water shortage they are currently facing, local and provincial government will have nobody but themselves to blame for the rapidly escalating ecological disaster.

This is according to local bird enthusiasts and renowned experts who are expecting the pan, which was once teeming with the largest flamingo population in southern Africa, to run completely dry within the very near future.

Following last week’s outcry, the CEO of BirdLife South Africa, Mark Anderson, took to social media and said that all blame for the dire threat facing wildlife at Kamfers Dam should be directed at government.

According to Anderson, by November last year the flamingo population at Kamfers Dam was estimated at roughly 14 000, a month after it was found that both the lesser and greater flamingos that had been building nests there were successful in their breeding attempts.

This followed an earlier exodus that was caused by a dramatic decrease in the water levels of the dam, which previously supported the largest permanent population of lesser flamingos in southern Africa.

Breeding

At the time, the acting HOD for the Department of Environment and Nature Conservation, Les Abrahams, said that this was the first recorded breeding event that had not been facilitated through human intervention, such as a breeding island, with breeding taking place on what was previously the pan basin.

Abrahams also appealed to the municipality to maintain the water levels at Kamfers Dam, by ensuring a constant inflow from the Homevale Waste Water Treatment Works (HWWTW), until the flamingo chicks were old enough to fly and feed themselves.

However, these appeals have not had the desired effect as Kamfers Dam is almost completely dry.

Concerned resident and local bird enthusiast, Brian Culver, said that while there is still some water in the middle and northern section of the pan, where the now useless breeding island is situated, should a far greater rate of evaporation than inflow of water from the sewage works persist, the basin would be rendered bone dry in the very near future.

“I believe the problems at Kamfers Dam are squarely as a result of the Sol Plaatje Municipality’s gross inability to address the water issues in Kimberley,” Anderson posted on the Save the Flamingo group’s page on Facebook,

He pointed out that less than half the water that is currently produced by the city was reaching the waste water treatment works.

“The majority of this water is lost and raw sewage is flowing into the veld and specifically into the previously pristine and biologically important Platfontein Pans.

“The Department of Environment of Nature Conservation (DENC) and the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) have known about this for many years and they should have taken the municipality to task.”

Anderson emphasised that the situation could easily have been avoided had preventative measures and routine maintenance been conducted.

Municipal spokesperson Sello Matsie confirmed yesterday that the situation remained dire and that there had been no further developments over the last few days.

“On average, the HWWTW receives about 20 megalitres and after the solid waste is removed about 10 to 12 megalitres is left,” he reiterated.

“However, currently, with the Gogga Pump not being functional, coupled with the issue of the heatwave and drought, the quantity received by the HWWTW is much less.” .

Matsie added that no water had been pumped to the dam in the last two to three weeks and that the dam would only receive water once Ekapa, the primary user, had received their quotient.