The paint is dumped in Jukskei Park. Photo: Facebook

It is believed that the red paint in the Klein Jukskei River was deliberately dumped by someone who wanted to throw paint away.

This belief comes after the river turned red on 25 June.

Murray Van Zyl, the operations director for the Klein Jukskei Greenbelt Initiative, said the US Environmental Protection Agency puts paint on the top five list of environmental hazards.

By far, the most important environmental impact from paint is the release of volatile organic compounds, said Van Zyl.

He said the natural flow of the river washed the paint down stream and could potentially damage 20kms of the rivers ecosystem.

The paint was dumped in the river above Robyn Park which is 7kms from the source of the river. Everything downstream from Robyn Park will potentially be affected by toxic substances in the paint.

The remnants of the spilled paint on the ground. Photo: Facebook

He said paint has an impact on the environment during its manufacturing process and on health during its use phase. Unused liquid paint is treated as hazardous and requires appropriate disposal. They generally include pigment carried by a resin and/or binder, a solvent to help the paint application, and a dryer.

In vinyl and acrylic paints they will also include plastics compounds.

Preserving such spaces comes with realising the importance of clean rivers and how biodiversity depends on a healthy ecosystem to thrive.

Without clean water there is no life, and a clean environment is vital for human health.

Van Zyl said South Africa is a water scarce country with very little rainfall throughout the year. The drought created serious and widespread detrimental effects across the country and made people more aware of their water consumption.

The Klein Jukskei River flows red. Photo: Supplied

Within the next 10 years, water shortages will likely be a fact of life for most people on the planet. We cant afford to pollute and destroy our drinking water sources.

He concluded by saying we need to continue promoting awareness, encouraging a healthy environment and conserve our natural resources because our livelihoods depend on it.

The Klein Jukskei River provides a green corridor through our city and suburbs, essentially providing clean air for us to breathe. Also there are so few green spaces left in our ever growing cities that we need to preserve these areas and feel free to explore them without the fear of contaminated water and disease.

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The Klein Jukskei turns red with damage imminent to the ecosystem - Randburg Sun