Abstract
Introduction and AimThe uThongathi Estuary was found to be in a poor ecological state and the water pollution was due to the discharge from the wastewater treatment plant, industrial, agricultural and residential sectors of Tongaat. The aims of this paper were therefore to explore the need for phytoremediation, as well as to show the importance of sustainable methods of agriculture in alleviating the pollution in the uThongathi River Estuary. Materials and MethodsThe research method chosen was a triangulation procedure and this involved experiments, questionnaires and observations. The experiments involved phytoremediation using artificial miniature wetlands and soil samples taken from the estuary. The plants used in the miniature wetlands were Chrysopogon zizanioides, Polystichum pungen and Polystichum munitum, whereas the plants used in phytoremediation of soil were the Spinacia oleracea L and Helianthus annuus. Questionnaires were given to all sectors of Tongaat and people were chosen randomly using The Yamane, 1967 approach with an error margin of 6%. ResultsThe results revealed that phytoremediation can be used successfully to reduce water pollution and eliminate the odour of bacteria coliform and nitrates. The Polystichum pungen was able to reduce the bacterial coliform from 2900 to 100 cfu/ mL. The use of the sustainable methods of mixed cropping or intercropping can reduce pests and prevent the use of harmful pesticides and herbicides and low tillage or non-tillage is good for the quality of the soil. Biopesticides can be used as an alternative to conventional pesticides. ConclusionsThe overall outcome of the study showed that phytoremediation and sustainable agricultural methods can successfully alleviate pollution in the uThongathi Estuary.
Published Version
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