Environmentalists give 2010 Dusi thumbs up
Pietermaritzburg
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With hundreds of canoeists putting the final touches to their preparations
for the Hansa Powerade Dusi canoe marathon, the environmentalists are already
hailing the race a groundbreaking success, long before the first batch gets
under way.
Andrew Booth of the Dusi uMngeni Conservation Trust (DUCT) is thrilled that
the race has created a powerful new platform for his NGO to operate from, as
it encourages each and every paddler and river user to use the DUCT hotline
033 345 7571 to report any incidents of river pollution.
"This
year has been our best year ever in terms of being able to service the
paddlers and communities that live in the valleys,"
said Booth.
"The
exposure that we have received, and the efforts of the Powerade Race For the
River to promote our hotline number to the paddlers that use the river is
actually solving one of our biggest problems
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the channel of information about what is happening to the river at any given
time."
"The
Powerade Race For the River has been pivotal to this, and the efforts of
Andrew King and Devlin Fogg to run the whole way to highlight the work we do
has had a massive impact already,"
said Booth.
Booth is also enthusiastic about the major increase in donor funding through
the Hansa Powerade Dusi Charity Batch income.
"Our
income from the race is up 65%, and I interpret that as paddlers grasping the
importance of what we do and seeing a need to support it."
Booth will be amongst the 1600 paddlers lining up for the start of the three
day race to Durban, and is hoping to finish his tenth Hansa Powerade Dusi
this year. He is confident that the ecoli problem in the river has been
brought under control.
"Barring
a major storm, which looks very, very unlikely, the ecoli levels in the river
wont be a problem, and I am excited that much of the river has been cleaned
up, which I am sure the paddlers will appreciate."
"The
uMsindusi municipality has been brilliant they way they have responded to
addressing the issues at the Darvill Sewerage Works, and fixing the problems
and broken pipes that caused the problems in the Bainesdrift tributary,"
said Booth.
Booth has his sights set on maintaining this momentum behind the work done by
DUCT, and to try and harness support from corporate backers who see the value
in what they are trying to do.
"Our
information problem has been helped by the media exposure we have received
from the Powerade Race For the River campaign,"
said Booth.
"Our
other challenges are simple resource issues."
"What
we can do is determined quite largely by the management and manpower at our
disposal, and any new income will go into creating these positions, which
will immediately increase our response capacity,"
said Booth.
Booth is also excited about a number of community initiatives that have
resulted in clean-up programmes on tributaries to major rivers in the system,
particularly in Sobantu, Edendale and in Clermont and kwaDabeka on the
outskirts of Durban.
Booth had plenty of encouragement for King and Fogg as they set out to become
the first participants to carry their kayak the entire route of the race.
"It's
going to tough but I am very confident in their ability to pull it off,"
he said.
"Go
for it guys! Just keep putting one foot in front the other, and I am sure you
will get there,"
he added.
"The
entire Powerade Race For The River campaign has already had a massive impact
on what we do, and I get this great feeling that at last people are seeing
the environment as just as big a priority as the other national imperatives."
ENDS
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Andrew Booth of
the Dusi uMngeni Conservation Trust (DUCT. |
Anthony Grote/
Gameplan Media |
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Andrew King (left) and Devlin Fogg get in some
last minute training ahead of their 120km trek that forms the Powerade Race
For The River. |
Anthony Grote/
Gameplan Media |
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