Phakalane fish to help improve water

| Wednesday May 2, 2007 00:00

 

A statement from the managing director of Phakalane, Lesang Magang, notes that the grass carp fish that are about 6 kilograms in weight can grow up to 20 kilograms.
The move to catch and transfer the fish to Phakalane Sewer Ponds follows concerns over the quality of water from the ponds.
The Golf Estate has 14 interlinked dams, which were designed to further clear the water from the Gaborone City Council and flow back to the 4th Gaborone City Council pond, which has cleaner water before entering the Notwane River.
However, the Golf Estate and other users of the treated water from the Gaborone City Council have been experiencing problems with the quality of water, which has too much algae and other solids.
Then it was established that the most environmentally viable way to clear the water is to use the grass carp.
'This fish specifically feeds off algae and other plant material and should assist as the poor quality of water has increased (the cost of) maintenance of pumps and sprinkler heads', said Magang in a statement.
'(But) the Gaborone City Council has to find a long lasting solution to the quality of the treated water sold to users such as the Golf Estate, as the water is sold at 60 thebe a cubic litre,' he said.
Magang said that this costs the golf estate over P500, 000 annually when competing golf estates in South Africa do not pay that much.