Illegal sand mining on the North Coast is out of control.
Unlicensed sand miners have been raping KZN rivers without any real reprimand, for at least 25 years.
We spoke to a number of local experts for a deeper look at this environmental hot topic.
Dolphin Coast environmentalist Simon Bundy said cases against the perpetrators seldom resulted in convictions due to legal technicalities, difficulties proving the significance of environmental issues to the courts and because the courts relate better to non-environmental socio-political arguments.
He believes the environmental laws are not very clear and said the solution could be found in establishing an environmental court.
Bringing unlicensed sand mining operators to book is also tricky because the regulatory system is disjointed, with four different government departments running the show – and inadequate communication between them.
“After completing an environmental impact assessment (EIA), prospective sand miners must obtain separate licenses from the department of environmental affairs and the water and sanitation department. They also have to get mining rights and a mining permit from the department of mineral resources (DMR) and a permission letter from the department of forestry and fisheries and the local municipality,” said DWS assistant director of compliance monitoring and enforcement Sibusiso Sikhosana. He said anyone who takes out more than 50 cubic metres of river sand (about the volume of a 10 wheeler sand tipper) must submit an EIA report. Sikhosana said many unlicensed sand miners are simply not aware of all the licensing requirements or think once they have obtained a sand mining license from one department they can legally go ahead. The repercussions on the environment are severe.
“Unlicensed sand mining practices interrupt the natural flow of rivers and divert water away from extraction points, making it difficult to provide enough drinking water to communities,” said department of water and sanitation KZN head Ashley Starkey. He said this also has a negative effect on municipalities’ water storage abilities, raises silt levels in rivers and increases the cost of drinking water production. Basically if the water is full of silt, more chemicals are required to make the water safe for drinking, making it more expensive to produce.
Starkey said the stationery water in the Umvoti River is full of germs and mosquitoes and expressed his concern over the risk of a cholera outbreak during the festive season when the number of people using the river as a toilet rapidly increases.
“Farmers suffer financial losses when cattle that graze in the river bed fall into holes left after excavation, break bones and even drown,” said Starkey.
He said because the water in deep excavation holes is often hazy and polluted, the holes left behind are often not clearly visible and children have fallen into and drowned in these hazards before.
“Adding injury to insult, these transgressors make a lot of money but do not pay tax,” said Starkey.
The heavy machinery used to open river blockages during the blitz are believed to cost tax payers close on R1 million per 48 hours.
Marine and Estuarine Research managing director Nicolette Forbes said the most commonly seen effects of sand mining is the damage caused when roads are built across flood plains with massive trucks and earth moving equipment ceaselessly traveling up and down, the clearing of trees and plants between land and rivers that is meant to keep banks intact and is home to many animal species, the destruction of water habitats and the release of fine sediments into the water reducing water clarity.
“In addition fuel and oil spillages from heavy equipment and the dumping of broken equipment adds to the impacts on the natural environment and in the long term, alien plant species take over where rehabilitation is not done,” said Forbes.
Looking at the state of the Umvoti River, he was not convinced the river could ever be rehabilitated. He said the destruction is too severe and he did not think government would be able to afford it.
Institute of natural resources principal scientist Gordon O’Brien disagreed. He said rehabilitation is possible and has been done before in Europe. “Rehabilitation can be done through the implementation of an estuary management plan focusing on rehabilitating the lower end of the Umvoti River and estuaries,” said O’Brien. He said it was essential that communities and stakeholders upstream buy into the plan for it to succeed.
