Pesticides are polluting Western Cape rivers all year round

A recent article by Steve Kretzmann, published by GroundUp—the South African non-profit news agency dedicated to human rights and public interest journalism—highlighted the findings of several scientific studies examining three major river catchments in the Western Cape.

The studies, conducted by researchers at Stellenbosch University (the latest published in April) and the University of Cape Town's School of Public Health (published in 2020), focused on the Piketberg, Grabouw and Hex River Valley catchments. They found that several pesticides, including some that have been banned in Europe, were consistently detected in the Berg, Krom and Hex rivers throughout the year.

The presence of these chemicals outside the normal crop-spraying season and periods of high rainfall suggests that they may also be persisting in groundwater, raising concerns about their long-term environmental impact.

The research also included health assessments of more than 1,000 children living within these catchment areas. The studies identified an association between pesticide exposure and poorer cognitive and brain function in children, highlighting the potential human health implications of continued exposure to these chemicals.

Click the link below to go to the GrounUp article.

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