Strand sea wall fears
A sudden surge in sea water could trap children behind the structure
CONCERNS have been raised about a multimillion-rand refurbishment of the Strand sea wall, with calls for building to be suspended due to a flawed Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
The wall, with an estimated cost of R175 million, was being built without its impact on all environmental factors being considered as no specialist studies were deemed necessary, said resident Piet Badenhorst.
The City proposed the construction of a new sea wall, which included the lengthening of the existing rock revetment and minor dune rehabilitation to prevent over-topping of the existing wall and damage to properties adjacent to Strand Beach.
However, Badenhorst said over-topping in Beach Road occurred mainly at spring tide once a month, probably not more than 10% of the time.
He said the reason for any potential damage to property could be indirectly linked to the City’s lack of maintenance and upgrading of the storm water system in Beach Road.
He said danger areas for swimmers had been created at the tidal pool, where a sudden surge in sea water could trap children behind the wall.
The assessment also states that no site visit was conducted.
Khula Environmental Consultants associate consultant Monique Sham said that from the first part of the Basic Assessment Report and the Environmental Authorisation, she picked up that no heritage specialist input had been included.
“Strand beach has a lot of history. Building a new wall along here must surely have a historical impact that should have been assessed. It may have even been required legally in terms of the National Heritage Resources Act – but this is not clear as a heritage consultant did not provide input,” she said.
The visual impact was one of the biggest issues, and no visual specialist was consulted in the process, Sham added.
She said the impact of the wall should have been assessed by a qualified marine biologist, as placing a structure on the beach changed the marine environment.
Provincial Environmental Affairs and Development Planning department spokesperson Rudolf van Jaarsveldt said no non-compliance with the Environmental Authorisation had been observed.
“A thorough EIA process for the authorised construction of the wall was conducted, which included a public participation process that met the legal requirements.
“The competent authority applied its mind and considered all the relevant matters in the decision-making process that culminated in the issuing of the environmental authorisation on June 26, 2014,” he said.
The literature review for the Coastal Zone Study Protection Works considered an extensive list of international and national documents.
“Departmental officials who processed the EIA application have visited the site and surrounding areas numerous times, and are very familiar with the site, and as such a site visit was not an absolute necessity,” he said.
Transport and Urban Development mayco member Brett Herron said: “The impacts of climate change include rising sea levels and an increased frequency of extreme weather events – as we witnessed in the recent storm. The City needs to prepare for these changes.”