Move to halt City’s plans to extend Ushaka Pier

INTERESTED parties have until 3 August to submit final written comments on the municipality’s draft report regarding a proposed extension to uShaka Pier.

The municipality’s proposal to extend uShaka Pier to include an additional 70 well points to pump water to uShaka Marine World was met with criticism when the plans first surfaced in March 2019.

At the time, eThekwini Municipality’s spokesperson Msawakhe Mayisela, said the extension to the pier was primarily to improve the water quantity and quality that is being extracted beneath the pier and supplied to uShaka Marine World.

ALSO READ: Activist: uShaka pier extension ‘unnecessary’

It maintained that the pier needed to be extended for the health of the sea creatures at uShaka Marine World.

A notice about the environmental impact assessment (EIA) was placed in the municipality’s publication, Ezasegagasini Metro, and noted plans to add 70 well points which would pump water to uShaka Marine World.

The notice gave the community 21 days to submit comments regarding the proposal.

Speaking to Berea Mail at the time, Vetch’s Beach activist, Johnny Vassilaros, said he felt the entire project sounded suspicious.

ALSO READ: The slow death of Durban’s Vetch’s Pier

He explained that when the pier was built, sufficient well points were placed to provide the aquarium with enough water.

However, according to Vassilaros, the well points were clogged due to the over-pumping of sand onto the beachfront and the solution would be to equip the booster pump stations at the beachfront with the right pumps, getting their infrastructure running to solve the problem permanently.

Now, it has been reported that the municipality wants to go ahead with the extension, to the tune of more than R50 million.

Commenting on the latest reports, Vassilaros said: “The city is still pushing for the extension of the pier, and the proposed pier head is colossal, but described as essential for water supply to uShaka.”

READ RELATED: Position of new Durban promenade raises concerns

Vassilaros urged the public to comment before the public comment period closes.

He argued that he and other activists felt there was more to the proposal, suggesting, as reported by Berea Mail in January, that the promenade was built in the incorrect position, and the City wanted to continue pumping sand to shield their investment from being damaged.

The Berea Mail had reached out to the eThekwini Municipality for comment, but had not received any feedback at the time of publication.

Submit written comments to Nicole Naidoo of ECA Consultants by 3 August: e-mail: admin@ecaconsulting.co.zaor postal: PO Box 56382, Chatsworth, Durban, 4092. Contact 074 244 7862.

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