Outcry over dredging in estuary
GARDEN Route environmental groups have slammed moves by a Keurbooms River property owner who is dredging in the sensitive estuary as part of a bank stabilisation project.
They say they are concerned about earthmoving equipment, roads made through vegetation and the packing of sandbags along about 300m to 400m of the bank in the estuary.
Rudi Martin, chair of the Plettenberg Bay Community Environmental Forum, said they had become aware in September last year that the owner of the river front property, known as Sanderlings phase 2, was stabilising banks to stop three or four milkwoods from falling into the river.
The forum was told that by the Western Cape Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning (DEADP) that the owner had been given a directive, supported by the forestry department, to carry out the stabilisation to save the milkwoods.
“It appears that he has used this authorisation as a mantle to do a whole lot of other activities, including dredging the estuary. There is earthmoving machinery in the mouth of the tiny Tshokwane tributary; they’re going into the protected forest, and on to the wetlands behind,” Martin said.
The few milkwoods would have needed 50m or less of bank stabilisation, but Martin said there had been between 300m and 400m of work done.
“We appealed to DEADP about the directive because we said the province had not applied its mind. But we were told there is legally no allowance for appealing directives.
“We’ve asked over and over if dredging needs a permit from Water Affairs, but we’ve hit a brick wall. We’ve asked for the method plan on how the bank work is to be done, but we’ve never got it.
“There were no roads there but now there are, and there’s driving over the wetland.”
Dr Robbie Robinson, retired head of SANParks and now chairman of the Keurbooms Estuary Management Forum, made up of civic groups and officials, said sucking up of sand in the estuary was a “total no-no”.
“All management action should have come to the forum. He has suction pumps right in the sensitive estuarine environment,” Robinson said.
He said the property formed an important ecological link between the estuary and the coast. “There is so little indigenous area left.”
Henk Nieuwoudt, of CapeNature, confirmed the ecological importance of all the land around the estuary. He had found the mangrove snail on the property that was previously thought not to occur south of the Bushmans River.
He said CapeNature was not allowed to comment on actions authorised by DEADP.
Asked to comment, DEADP spokesman James-Brent Styan said the owner had applied to the department to stabilise the riverbank, but had already started to do so before he had been given authorisation.
The department told him to stop, but gave him permission, supported by the forestry department, to do “temporary protection measures” to stabilise the bank. This had been done in accordance with the directive, Styan said, and no further emergency work was to be done.
The owner, through
his consultant, Cathy Avierinos, of HilLand Environmental, has since applied to DEADP for a “24G” in terms of the National Environmental Management Act to get permission to continue the work. This was under consideration, Styan said.
Landowner Flip van Rooyen said he got permission to stabilise 300m of the bank.
“Everything I’ve done is in terms of the directive. I just want to protect those trees from washing away.
“I’ve got permission to pump sand in the estuary to put in sacks to stabilise the bank. I want anyone to prove that I’ve driven over the wetland,” Van Rooyen said.
The forum has said applying for a “24G” permit is a major loophole whereby property owners, who have acted illegally, can then apply to legalise their unlawful actions.
The forum said in a letter to MEC Anton Bredell that the “24G” allowed developers to “act now and apologise later”.
“The 24G process is being abused, resulting in the authorisation of environmentally damaging activities,” the forum said.