Mthinzima Wetland Community Restoration.

The video summarising this project can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/jjMsNza1S-4

Summary

Midmar Dam in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, is a vital water source for millions of downstream users, making its water quality a critical concern for water resource management in the province. The water flowing into the dam from the upstream Mpophomeni township is heavily polluted, a fact illuminated by citizen scientist monitoring by a group of volunteers known as the Enviro-Champs. The Enviro-Champs, with the support of the Duzi-uMngeni Conservation Trust, the uMgungundlovu District Municipality, South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), and uMngeni-uThukela Water (UUW), monitor the water flowing through the township.

The Mthinzima wetland is situated between Mpophomeni township and Midmar Dam and functions as a pivotal water quality regulator for the outflows from Mpophomeni township. The wetland filters out pollutants, such as E. coli, nitrate, and phosphates before the water enters the dam. However, the wetland has become severely degraded by decades of mismanagement and exploitation, rendering it at a fraction of its potential ecosystem services operational capacity.

GroundTruth, in collaboration with UUW and SANBI, has devised and overseen the rehabilitation of the Mthinzima wetland, which is still in progress. This has included training of the (now called) Amanzi EnviroChamps to monitor the wetland as parallel ecological and engineering rehabilitation work is undertaken. This work also has the support of the Zenzeli Trust, to whom the wetland belongs, showcasing how science that is driven by, and carried out with, a community can truly bring about positive environmental change for the greater good.