Beauty At Sleep
The Kat River gurgles merrily - for the most part - through the northern residential areas of George. The stream emerges from the mountain and enters George at Fernridge, traversing Denneoord, Twee Rivieren, and Bergsig, then bordering Denver Park, Genevafontein and Eden to the north before adding to the water collected at the Garden Route Dam - the town’s primary source of drinking water.
Many are the erven that border the River Kat and the householders take great pleasure in that fact. But following the floods of 2006 and 2007, much damage has been done to gardens and some to houses too. One household retains its battlements of sandbags to this day under the motto, no doubt, of "better safe than sorry"!
Through lack of knowledge or misguided efforts, the condition of the river has deteriorated with alien vegetation encroaching on the river and drawing off excessive amounts of water. There is serious bank erosion and degradation with blockages which lead to altered flow and further damage to the natural condition of the river.
A group of concerned citizens has now taken it upon themselves to reach out to all George residents living along the river banks to rectify damage done and to try to regain a healthy and safe riverine environment.
To this end, "The Friends of the Kat river" is in the process of being constituted under the auspices of WESSA (Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa).
Professional guidance
This group will establish what negative occurrences have impacted on the river and obtain professional guidance on what can be done over time to improve the condition of the river.
All property owners along the banks of the Kat River are invited to contact the group and contribute their knowledge and experience.
"The Friends of Kat river" hope that many George residents will join forces and help achieve this dream.
For more information, please visit www.katrivier.org. za or contact Inge at info@katrivier.org. za or 044 8744474.
