A MEETING held by various stakeholders after an on-site inspection of the Amanzimtoti River lagoon on Tuesday, September 21, came to the conclusion that the nearby railway tracks are in no imminent danger.

ALSO WATCH: [VIDEO] Rage sends car careening into lagoon

This after a recent scare that the river had migrated too close to the railway tracks. This created fears that it could potentially result in a repeat of the December 11, 2012 incident when a cargo train, fully laden with timber, plunged into the lagoon after the embankment collapsed. The line is used by both Transnet Freight Rail and the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) trains. After the recent rains, sand erosion seemed to be destabilising the embankment that holds the railway. Transnet’s spokesperson, Jane Moshoeshoe, said work was done in 2012 to stabilise the integrity of the embankment and confirmed that a delegation from Prasa, Transnet was sent to the area this with the view of coming up with a sustainable solution. Officials from the Department Environmental Affairs (DEA), University of KwaZulu-Natal, eThekwini Municipality and Leomat were also part of the inspection. Ward 97 councillor André Beetge, who was also present, said it was agreed that the dune wall that was rebuilt with geo-sandbags after the last collapse remains stable and is currently uncompromised.

“Some sandbags have indeed become unlodged around the skiboat launch site south of the actual wall. These bags were however never placed to form part of the support wall, but instead to enhance and better facilitate the launch site. There was a mutual agreement that, if left unhindered, the natural southern migration of the river would eventually pose a treat to the embankment, thus necessitating action prior the rain season,” said Beetge.

A number of studies regarding the erosion at the Amanzimtoti lagoon have been undertaken by environmentalists. One of them is titled Forecasting lagoon outlet erosion: KwaZulu-Natal, southeast Africa, co-written by University of KwaZulu-Natal research associate, Dr Alan Smith, coastal management specialist, Tandi Breetzke and environmental specialist, Lisa Anne-Marie Guastella. According to the study, Prasa, as owners of the line, has continuously been notified over the years of the danger at the lagoon but no action has been taken to implement a permanent solution. After the 2012 accident, Transnet and Prasa apparently placed a 30km/h speed restriction on trains as they pass the lagoon to reduce vibration from train traffic and so reduce destabilisation of the already unstable slope. DEA did not respond respond to emails sent.

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