Community attempt to breach Dakota Beach river
A group of community members attempted to manually breach the river mouth at Dakota Beach.
COMMUNITY members in Isipingo attempted to take matters of Mother Nature into their own hands this morning (May 15) at Dakota Beach, where they tried to breach the river mouth.
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Manually breaching rivers, often by digging through sandbars at river mouths, is primarily done to prevent flooding of low-lying settlements, infrastructure and roads nearby. It is also sometimes done to improve water quality and water levels.
This is, however, despite its good intentions, against the law and can be dangerous and environmentally harmful.
According to the Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (EDTEA), there is a wealth of evidence of artificial breaching causing ecological degradation and a overall detriment to the function of estuarian ecosystems.
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CoastKZN, EDTEA’s interactive web-based information portal, further explained that artificial breaching results in a sudden, catastrophic lowering of water levels for aquatic life, which disrupts natural functioning of the system.
“In the absence of specific approval and a dedicated, system-specific implementation plan, the breaching of an estuary mouth remains an unlawful activity in terms of the National Environmental Management Act,” said the EDTEA in a statement.
As such, a breaching request needs to be directed to the EDTEA Coastal Unit along with supporting information advising the situation in the area, including photographs. Thereafter, the request will be carefully considered. For more information, take a look at the protocol for breaching requests.
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