Flooded Aston Bay to Paradise Beach causeway breached
THE Kouga municipality has emerged as the victor after a stalemate with the provincial Department of Environmental Affairs over the controversial Paradise Beach causeway.
Kouga mayor Elza van Lingen said the municipality had been granted permission by the department to breach the Seekoei estuary artificially.
The estuary, on either side of the low-level causeway that connects Paradise Beach to Aston Bay and Jeffreys Bay, frequently causes flooding over the busy connecting road.
The causeway had been submerged for more than a month following unusually high seas in August, Van Lingen said.
“We are grateful that the department proved willing to resolve the matter,” she said.
“It was a long and difficult negotiation, but we were able to convince their officials that the situation at the estuary qualifies as an emergency in terms of the National Environmental Management Act.”
The municipality breached the estuary on Saturday, under the supervision of a department official.
“A structural assessment of the causeway will be done quickly to determine what repairs need to be done and how quickly it can be reopened to traffic,” Van Lingen said.
But Paradise Beach resident and neighbourhood watch chairman John Wiehahn said he doubted whether the breaches would stop the problem.
“The water has dropped, but at a miniscule [level] – and the bridge is still closed,” Wiehahn said.
“Even if it is completely successful, this is not at all a long-term solution.
“There’s a problem with the bridge itself – it’s non-compliant [with regulations] and impedes the natural flow.
“When it rains, it will probably undo everything,” he said.