BACKGROUND
The recent storms that caused havoc on parts of the South African Coastline has again shifted the focus onto the legendary Seekoei River Crossing, also known as the Paradise Causeway. This structure has probably been the most newsworthy in the Kouga region ever.
The causeway had an extensive upgrade recently after the surface started disintegrating causing huge pot holes which caused motorists having to swerve around them and having to take extra care for oncoming traffic as well as the width of the causeway. A vehicle or two did end up in the river as a result around last light one day.
Flooding of the causeway, with no clear direction and management from authorities has resulted in many frustrated residents from Paradise and Aston Bay taking up the spades and breaching the mouth for the water to lower around the causeway on many occasions, with one of them almost ending up in a court case with the Green Scorpions investigating a few individuals after over 100 residents breached the mouth late one Friday afternoon.
Soon after the latest flooding the Kouga Municipality requested the community not to breach the mouth and that action was imminent, followed up by confirmation of a short, medium and long term plan that would be promulgated soon.
OVERVIEW
Many stories have been told during the years of what the reasons were for the flooding of the causeway. Contributing factors ranging from dams higher up the river, to the structure of the causeway and finally the swimming pool buildings and parking area at the mouth on the Aston Bay side.
As a result of deliberations between the Kouga Municipality and local engineers as well as other stakeholders information was tabled to understand the historical significance and to propose solutions.
Verslag van André le Roux, voormalige Munisipale Ingenieur van Jeffreysbaai
GESKIEDENIS
Inwoners van Paradysstrand, wat onder die ou Humansdorp Afdelingsraad se beheer was, het begin om ‘n kortpad na Astonbaai oor die sand in die Seekoeirivier te bou. ‘n Plaaslike kontrakteur, DD Vervoer het destyds bourommel in die standmeer gestort en so het die pad stadig begin vorm aanneem.
Met die ontstaan van die Algoa Streeksdiensteraad is die beheer van Paradysstrand vanaf die Afdelingsraad daarheen oorgeplaas. Die Paradysstrand dorpskomitee het begin voelers uitsteek en begin gesprekke voer met die Jeffreysbaai Munisipaliteit en die Algoa Streeksdiensteraad vir die moontlike inlywing van Paradysstrand by Jeffreysbaai. Die Raad was destyds ten gunste van sodanige inlywing maar het sekere voorwaardes en versoeke gestel.
Een van die voorwaardes vir inlywing was dat die oorgang opgegradeer word en dat ‘n beter oplossing vir die opdamming in die mond gevind word.
Die probleem areas met hierdie projek asook uitdagings en voorstelle onlangs aan die Kouga Munisipaliteit gegee is hieronder beskikbaar. Lees gerus verder.
Besoek hierdie skakel om André le Roux (Pr Ing) Siviele en Strukturele Ingenieur se verslag te lees.
Aanbevelings wat destyds gemaak is aan die Algoa Streekdiensteraad is onder beskikbaar met sketse en uitreksels.
If this canal system was built, which it has been, why is it not cleared to allow the higher water level to flow out to sea as designed and intended? After all, in order to build the canal all the relevant permissions were granted at the time. Therefore the only conclusion can be, that appropriate maintenance was not applied and that Phase 2, the pumping phase, was not implemented? It would also appear that as knowledge of the solution was not carried over to successive persons accountable, the current and past flooding conditions prevail.
I agree fully with you Brian Minnaar. A number of years of maintenance were left behind and sadly the watch changeover did not facilitate this little project. So much more the reason why Local Municipalities should not be politicised.