Rains boost St Lucia estuary
The interim court order determining when the Mfolozi River is to be breached to the sea still stands until mid-May
DESPITE last week’s breaching of the Mfolozi River in keeping with the interim court order issued in October, some 16.5 billion litres of fresh Mfolozi River water had entered the Lake St Lucia system by Friday.
‘It has meant that about 70-80% of the fresh water from recent rains will go into Lake St Lucia rather than be wasted out to sea.
The Narrows has risen by 75cm and water has reached Makakatana Bay and the southern reaches of Catalina Bay,’ said Andrew Zaloumis, iSimangaliso CEO.
Although large tracts of the lake bed are still dry, the recent inflow of fresh water has provided a buffer against the possibility of continued low rainfall over the next six months, and it is hoped some of the negative impacts of the drought will be reduced.
In keeping with the interim court order, iSimangaliso breached the Mfolozi River to the sea last Tuesday but were on Wednesday served urgent papers by UCOSP.
The matter went to court on Friday but it was agreed that it, along with UCOSP’s two other urgent applications, would be heard on 19 May, the date that was last year set for the two parties to present detailed arguments.
The breaching-related interim court order stands until mid-May.
It appears last week’s urgent application by UCOSP was an attempt to have iSimangaliso breach the Mfolozi River further south.
The current interim court order states that, when water levels in the Mfolozi River reach 1.2msl at the Cotcane measuring gauge, the river must be breached to the sea at a point of iSimangaliso’s choosing.
Breaching the river to the sea further south, however, would not be ecologically viable and, by iSimangaliso choosing the current breaching point, it has ensured that any ecological damage to Lake St Lucia would be minimised.
