Boksburg Lake Day

Once a popular tourist attraction for boating, fishing, water sport and hiking, this public amenity and its surrounding lawns, trees, and terraces have been subjected to severe pollution and urban decay.

But the annual Boksburg Lake Day initiative which ties into spring and Arbour Day aims to pursue environmental education within this industrial and mining centre, by improving the environment of the lake and its shoreline to encourage greater public usage of the lake.

Boksburg Lake Day was launched in 2009 asa partnership between FMCG giant and key funder Unilever South Africa,the EkurhuleniMetropolitanMunicipality,local businesses and industry and community representatives.

Renee Burton, corporate affairs executive at Unilever said: “We know that effective water resource management is a priority for South Africa due to climate change, population growth, pollution, below average rainfall and the invasion of alien plant species.

“By 2014, demand for water in South Africa will have caught up with supply. This highlights the urgent need to aggressively promote a social ethic of water conservation through education around water resource issues. And we believe it begins with school children who can one day become responsible citizens and positive agents for change in their community,” she said.

Burton added the initiative began through an existing relationship between Unilever SA and Rhodes University, which plays a leading role in developing an understanding of how chemicals impact on aquatic life in natural ecosystems.   

Over the past four years, funding from Unilever has led to the development of an integrated water quality management plan which has provided guidance and structure to the project, identifying problems affecting the lake and wetland and suggesting solutions.

Progress has included: the establishment of the community-driven Boksburg Lake and Wetland Project; the launch this year of the Boksburg Lake Forum comprisingthe Ekurhuleni Metro, schools, businesses, industries, local churches and other civic organisations; extensive research; development of a master plan and resource pack on urban water catchments; and the declaration of the lake as a mayoral project to recognise the tourism potential for Boksburg.

Future plans include the completion of a crucial Environmental Impact Study (EIA) andplanting of indigenous trees in the lake grounds.

Preceded by resource workshops with teachers and guidance from environmental organisations WESSA and the Woodlands Conservation Trust, Boksburg Lake Day involves fun-filled activities, tree-planting, water quality education and a march around the lake, during which attendees  each year are shown the problems affecting the lake and how to remedy these.

By focusing on urban water ecosystems and urban catchment management the goal is to make Boksburg Lake a safe and pleasant recreational resource for residents, and a landscape feature of which the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality and its people can be proud.