‘Small wave by God, big work by man’
Municipality gets job done
MORE of the massive waves that flooded Durban’s promenade last weekend can be expected in years to come, according to an ocean expert.
“We could see as many as six a year by the end of the decade, so either we carry on doing what we are doing or we actively take steps to mitigate the damage,” said Andrew Mather, project executive for coastal policy at the eThekwini Municipality.
Sea levels were rising 2.7mm a year, Mather said.
In the short-term he foresaw the likelihood of such “overwashing” happening once or twice a year in March and September.
“There is a 90% chance of more events of this nature.”
He said Durban was better placed than other cities to deal with the problem by being able to pump sand on to the beachfront.
Maher added it had been predicted the waves, brought about by a combination of a high spring tide, a full moon and a cyclone off Madagascar, would be 3.7m high.
“They were 5.5m. It caught us unaware.”
They were not as high, nor as damaging, as cyclone-driven waves that struck in 2007 and measured 8.5m, he said.
Meanwhile, Durbanites have been promised a clean beach for this long weekend, after the city worked around the clock to clean up damage.
Municipal spokesperson Tozi Mthethwa said all city beaches, excluding Country Club and eThekwini Beach, were open.
“Beach clean-up operations and shark net installations are ongoing.
“Plumbing has been repaired and the showers are all working. Six of the seven missing shark nets have been recovered and all beaches between uShaka Beach and the Country Club have had the nets reinstalled. The last remaining net was installed yesterday.”
Botanist Elsa Pooley, who was a consultant in the horticultural design of the beachfront in 2010, said she was pleased with how well plants and dunes had withstood the tidal damage.
The ecological system made the beachfront more attractive, she said, but the most important role was to create an environmentally friendly barrier to protect the built-up area from high waves.
“The areas that suffered the most damage were where we could not plant vegetation or create a dune,” said Pooley.
“Going forward, I am not sure what options the city has to protect the beaches from wave damage as the only environmentally friendly option, building dunes, can’t really be done.
“The city will have to repair any damage caused in future. But I am happy to see the work we did a few years ago standing strong and protecting the back of the beach,” she said.
On the promenade, beachgoers cycled, walked, jogged and rode segways as heavy machinery and workers with shovels cleared sand and put dislodged concrete slabs back in place.
A pier that had been closed off was accessed by pedestrians by simply walking over the cordon.
North Beach sand artists Skhumbuzo Ngcobo, Sanele Macgaba and Sibusiso Mthembu spent every day this week, until 10pm, rebuilding their works that the ocean destroyed in a flash.
Ngcobo said he had watched helplessly as concrete slabs dislodged and his sand sculptures collapsed. The equipment he used – buckets and spray bottles– as well as some of his clothes, disappeared.
His artwork included a car, a rhino, a sculpture showing the “Big Five” and adverts.
He began his reconstruction work on Tuesday by creating a new “Big Five” sculpture. “That’s the one people most like to see,” he said.
Debonairs manager Sizwe Shongwe said on Monday he repaired his damaged shop door and brought in technicians to check his electronic equipment. He said he was impressed by the municipality’s clean-up.
Neighbouring shop Muchachos remained boarded up.
Fatima Sheik of Billal Cuisine, was less impressed. Her grill, fridges, seating and plug points were damaged, and she asked what the government would do to help.
“Nobody asked us how we were affected. Who is helping?”
The municipality’s repair work was something of an added attraction to beachgoers.
For some, it was positive. They were amazed by the damage and how rapidly it was being repaired.
“I feel positive. It’s certainly more active than the way they’ve been dealing with the Sassa debacle,” said Albert and Rina du Plessis. For others, it was negative. “It reminds me of the wise man who built his house on the rock and the foolish man who built his house on the sand,” said Leon Naidoo, criticising the fact that the buildings were too close to the water.
His friend Lloyd Govender chirped: “One small wave from God, one big workload for mankind.”