Hennops Revival - Riverlution

I am Tarryn Johnston and I've started a #Riverlution!

The purpose of this video is to give you an indication of what we are dealing with, I will take you on a tour of the Hennops, starting as the Kaalspruit in Ekhuruleni and winding through into Tembisa where, some of the realities in the area are poverty issues, service delivery issues, infrastructure damage, blocked storm water systems, informal trading etc..

Our Wetlands are being encroached upon, developed upon and being used as illegal dumping sites - which is problematic in our rivers because our wetlands are not able to absorb the amount of water they should, and also through developments which channel their rain and wastewater into the storm water channels which all lead to the river - resulting in more severe flooding!

Industrial effluent of all kinds are being discharged into our wetlands, our storm water drains, our rivers, and there is a lot of it that is non compliant. Law enforcement in our country is not taken seriously and people have become apathetic, because - everyone else is doing it and getting away with it, although we have a really beautiful South African Constitution, it means little if there are no consequences for violation. Industry needs to comply!

The South African Human Rights Commission has recommended that the situation regarding failing wastewater treatment works in South Africa, and their pollution of the country’s water resources, be declared a national disaster. Our wastewater treatment works cannot be allowed to continue the way that they are!

Informal recycling is done en masse because of the exceptional amount of poverty and this is a way in which to earn a living, the need for the waste pickers exists because WE are not washing, separating and recycling - which I see as a mixture between laziness (because recycling requires some conscious effort - and cleaning your waste before separating it) and also the lack of facilities available for recycling to the public - one needs to pay an additional fee to s private company in order to do the right thing - so everything just goes into the same bag - and into the bin..

The pickers have to clean their stock in order to get a higher value when selling it and they migrate towards rivers and streams - because that is what is available as a water source.

Hennops Revival is working with people we found on the river banks, creating jobs to alleviate poverty, uplifting people and bringing a sense of community back to the River!

We promote Active Citizenry - we believe that active citizens help municipalities to function better.

We host community volunteer cleanups and we make it a lot of fun, providing a platform for people from all walks of life to give back and walk away with a sense of great fulfillment.

We have also explored with Citizen Science and have hosted workshops with the community, in order for them to better understand the importance of protecting our rivers and wetlands!

We regularly test the water quality through our sponsors and this information is available to the public and is also forming part of a much bigger vision where scientific data is available to back up our claims!

We have designed a multi-phased Litter Catchment System.
Phase 1 - designed to catch big trees and large debris
Phase 2 - designed to catch trees and debris which makes it past the first phase
Phase 3 - a row of barrels across the river, on a release system which automatically releases once the water has reached a certain height, so that we do not create damming

We have done some Phyto-remediation projects, using Vetiver grass in pontoons to determine which toxins the plants extract from the water as well as a bank retention project, planting 4000 Vetiver grass slips in an area which has been heavily eroded over time, in order to retain the banks and regenerate the soil.

Our vision is to implement managed responsible recycling points which are incentive based - to activate immediate action through reward. As well as composting sites and vegetable gardens - where people can exchange their organic waste for food grown in the gardens.

We don't have time! So I ask that you Pause and Reflect..
The state of our rivers is a direct reflection of a huge amount of pain, a very broken system, and a massive disconnection to OURSELVES, as beings made up of mostly Water..

What we do to Water, we do to Ourselves.

Be the Change.

The Future started long ago ~ Tarryn Johnston

Hennops Revival extend deep gratitude to our community, partners, volunteers, supporters sponsors and donors, without whom - I would just be some crazy girl sitting alone at the river !

This video presentation was sponsored by Auto Investments Centurion! Thank you so much!