Cargo nets are working insists SANParks

KNYSNA NEWS - After much fanfare at the end of last year with the introduction of special nets meant to collect litter before it flows into the estuary, a Knysna resident recently called into question the usefulness of the nets installed at a culvert in the industrial area.

"It's not always functional and many pieces of litter flow right through unhindered," Greg Booysen told Knysna-Plett Herald, advising authorities to use more effective methods.

But SA National Parks (Sanparks) spokesperson Nandi Mgwadlamba maintains that the cargo net, which was installed late last year as a pilot project, has so far proven to be "incredibly helpful and will only improve going forward".

"We have found that the net works incredibly well when the water flow is heavy, but is less effective during normal flow," she said, and added, "We also want to make smaller gauzes on the net so that smaller pieces of litter can be collected as well."

A graph was also provided (see on page) which indicates how much litter has been collected since it was installed about four months ago. The municipality has since committed to bearing the costs of more nets to be rolled out for culverts all over town.

"We are still waiting for a service level agreement with the municipality which will see them providing the nets and Sanparks being responsible for cleaning around the culverts and maintenance of the nets," Mgwadlamba concluded.

This graph indicates the total litter collected by the cargo nets since November 2018.