South Coast Ready For the Equinox

Local authorities have been monitoring and observing the tides and weather.
ANGELA KELLY REPORTS.
THE South Coast will be ready for the expected high tides during the equinox this month.

There will be an equinox on September 22 and, coupled with bad weather and spring high tides, giant waves could pound the coastline.
Brian Dube, of the Ugu District Municipality, said precautions have been taken to mitigate the possible damage that could be wrought by the spring tide.
"We know the ocean is unstable, previous damage to the coastline proves that. All neces­sary precautions will be taken," said Mr Dube.
Meanwhile, a project team led by the Ugu District Disaster Manager, Peter Tanner, made up of staff members from Hibiscus Coast Munic­ipality and Umdoni Municipality, is working with a team of experts led by Bohlweki Environ­mental on the restoration of areas affected by the March storms.
"To date, a costing exercise has been com­pleted, indicating that the final estimated cost will be approximately R113-million. These costs are only for damage to municipal infrastructure and exclude work done by Spoornet, the Natal Sharks Board or any private individuals or busi­nesses," said Mr Dube.
Mr Dube added that funds to repair the damage after March's storm, are not available in the current council budget and great reliance is being placed on receiving assistance from national government.
The claim of R113-million has been lodged through the provincial disaster office and support­ed by the provincial cabinet. It has been submitted to the national treasury for consideration.
"There are several areas which require de­tailed business plans and environmental studies (EIA) to be undertaken before any work can start. In these cases, all options require careful consideration prior to approval to ensure that every precaution is taken to mitigate against similar incidents occurring. No work can be undertaken until environmental approval is re­ceived," he said.
During the last few weeks, there has been additional damage to beaches, including those at Park Rynie and Margate. Mr Dube said the dam­age was currently being assessed by consultants.