How are things that side now? I hear about various places that are still flooded and more rain is coming? Eish, I do not know, this rain is a blessing and a curse.
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How are things that side now? I hear about various places that are still flooded and more rain is coming? Eish, I do not know, this rain is a blessing and a curse.
Bad over here and hopefully the rain will clear a bit this week. But July is waiting and more drama to follow. Yes, we need the water and it's sad to see how much is simply allowed to flow into the sea. If more dams were to be built it would bring a great relief during the dry seasons.
!PIZZA
I was at Stellenbosch and the eerste river yesterday and the destruction is so sad. Even if they merely planted types of mangroves rather than try and make the river bigger, it might have prevented some of the damage. We love to take out plants and then cry why did this happen? So sad.
One can see the mistakes all over and I always cry when I see the tons of precious water flowing past us into the ocean. Surely if a country is water scarce, plans should be made to build more dams. It could also be the answer to stop so many floods by controlling the release of water in the new dams.
Somebody didn't realize that the riverbanks would be exposed to the ravages of nature when the plants and foliage are removed.
!PIZZA
My granddad, when he was still alive, also said the same thing. He lived in Swellendam and one of the rivers there, I cannot remember if it is the Breederivier, mouthed into the ocean. But with a small divergence, according to him, the flow could be directed to the dams that provide water. He stood on the bank looking at massive amounts of water flowing directly into the ocean whilst the country and the western cape (at that time) faced all of the droughts.
They call it logical thinking and every time that I see it, my heart aches. It would be so easy to make another Strand golf course and to turn the current one into a very large lake, both sides of the road that passes through it. Machines can dig it deeper and the ground that is removed can be compacted in the townships that are below the water line to increase the height.
There is ample space on the old Denel grounds for a water works that can pump the water from the lake all over the province.
!PIZZA
Sorry for the long wait for the reply. What a couple of weeks, and for the next couple of weeks as well. I am presenting a paper in 10 or so days and I am still writing the damn thing!
In any case, so true. I always think about our ability to really mess things up (I recently saw mountains full of cars in China that they built and "sold" on the books to receive subsidies from the government, but they stashed them in rural areas); but this also showcases our ability to do good! As you mentioned, we can make a dam where the golf course is, and we can reintroduce native plants and get rid of alien vegetation which uses more water. Yet, it is almost as if people just do not care, as if they do not want to bother themselves with making things better. Really sad.
No need to waste your ink on apologizing, as I know that you are a busy guy.
Yeah, everyone is chasing the mighty buck (Cina included), and the clamor of the people here for services has the city planners against the wall. Money is tight and with the elections around the corner, all of a sudden everyone is more focused on service delivery. So, there is no time to plan for "extras", such as new dams. A real sad story.
!PIZZA