RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT OF THE NETWORK

A healthy catchment area provides the following:

A source of clean drinking water.

Habitat for plants and animals.

Healthy vegetation and waterways.

Reliable and clean water for stock and irrigation.

The recommendations for improving the network are as follows:

1. Restoring the river bank vegetation

Vegetation on the river bank is valuable for many reasons. The root systems of the vegetation (e.g:

shrubs, grasses, trees) hold the banks together. During rainy weather when the flow rate of the

river is higher, the vegetation plays a key role in absorbing the force of the flow and hence reduces

the capacity of the water to cause erosion of the banks. Also, trees and shrubs on the banks provide

shelter and shade for aquatic as well as terrestrial fauna. Furthermore, the vegetation acts as a filter

to trap sediments from run-off and hence preventing them from entering the stream. This helps to

maintain a good quality of water.

2. Irrigation management

A large portion of the land in the catchment area of River des Creoles consists of sugarcane fields

which require an irrigation system. The system must be designed by a qualified irrigation system

designer. It must be applied on better soil having the capacity to retain nutrients. Efficient

irrigation will result in efficient water use and will also minimize run-off. Also, irrigation

scheduling and monitoring of soil moisture enable to determine crop requirements. Furthermore,

the reuse of effluent in irrigation practices should be considered.

3. Catchment surveys

Catchment surveys should be conducted and these must result in the following:

(i) A complete list of contamination sources.

(ii) A classification of their significance.