Feasibility study NbS measures water treatment Blesbokspruit Ramsar site, South Africa
Lead Partner(s): Waterschap Limburg (Blue Deal Zuid-Afrika)
The Blesbokspruit wetland, a Ramsar-protected site of international importance, plays a crucial role in supporting biodiversity, regulating water runoff, and maintaining livelihoods in Ekpurhuleni, South Africa.
However, the wetland is experiencing serious ecological degradation due to increasing pollution from mining, a dysfunctional sewer system, and faulty wastewater treatment plants. These challenges are exacerbated by a growing infestation of common water hyacinth.
The Blesbokspruit is a microcosm of the broader water issues plaguing South Africa, with many poorly understood, overlapping issues.
This project aims to:
1) map the extent of hyacinth proliferation and wetland pollution,
2) and identify feasible nature-based solutions (NbS) that can reduce nutrient input, increase ecosystem resilience, and limit the spread of water hyacinth in the Blesbokspruit Marsh.
Based on these findings, medium and long-term interventions will be proposed.
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