Hi Sybrand, Ricardo and ALL...
Thanks so much for what you have done now and
previously!
I am very grateful for this clean up!
I was wondering if there may be a way to make
things easier and more sustainably successful?
My proposals as a start to raising
possibilities...
1. Stop the littering before it gets
into the river.
There are so many people who set themselves up to
camp on the river, under the bridges, in the bushes.
Many if not most arrive with big bags of garbage
they take out of bins, bring it to their nest, sort
through things to eat and other goods AND LEAVE THE
REST TO ROT in / next to THE RIVER!
In my view this is illegal and destructive
behaviour.
I believe it would be better to provide dry,
secure and supervised sleep-over space as a
temporary alternative for a maximum two to three
nights each to be met by a social worker,
assessed and assisted to move to a more promising
alternative lifestyle. I have suggested that payment
for the short term food and shelter could be
temporary work to pick up and clean up some of the
hot spots (other litter mess), before
it gets into the river system!
2. Set up a ‘stepping stone’ supported
bridge over the weir, with a catchment grid
and possibly another at the upstream side of the N2
Liesbeek bridge, also with a catchment grid, that
can be cleared every second day or more, so all
litter floating down the river is trapped and
cleared BEFORE it spreads all over.
There will still be a need to get a clean up in
other parts since wind and local littering will
still happen, but I believe the problem will be
substantially reduced.
The regular clean up at catchment
grids and ‘vagrant nesting spots’ can be a
preventative job creation project that addresses
the cause and the symptoms.
3.The proposed temporary shelter
facility I propose is under N2 bridge on
mountain side of Liesbeek Parkway, where there is a
managed toilet facility already existing. I suggest
this large space could be be well utilised, made
safe and isolated from the road system, fully
transparent except for a wind protection barrier.
The facility could have additional toilet and shower
inside a lockable fenced area similar to under Mill
Street Bridge in Gardens. It could be divided into
three or four areas so groups can feel safe, men
separated from women and the sober from the
intoxicated where needed. There would need to be
rules about lock up time and a system for
supervision.
When this temporary facility has been replaced
with a better alternative, the space can be used for
an all weather skateboard facility for teens in this
part of the world, not wanting to go all the way to
Gardens, not needing to do their tricks in public
roads, irritating others with their ‘click- clacks’.
What do you think about it?
Marc Turok
Sent: Monday, May 11, 2015 10:24 PM
Subject: [obsnw] Liesbeek River
Cleaning A[n Observatory] Community Project -
TWENTIETH CLEANING DAY, Saturday 9 May 2015
Feedback
Hi all,
Thank
you to everyone who came out and helped. We
picked up 111 bags of litter!
The
next cleaning day will be on the 6th of June.
(We don't yet have a supervisor for the day -
please contact me if you're interested or want
to know more.)
A
special thank you to the Obz KWIKSPAR for
keeping us hydrated, Friends of the Liesbeek for
their support, and Ricardo Sá
for starting this initiative.
Sybrand Strauss
071 067 1962
PS.
The "Trash Picker of the month award"
goes to Werner Steyn who came armed with
5 litter bags for some "meditation", but simply
couldn't stop once he got going. Werner, you're
an unstoppable machine!
PPS.
Sorry if I missed any volunteers - we're
covering a very large area and it's easy to get
lost in it.
--
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