While stormwater upgrades below Umdloti Kwikspar are on track, the same cannot be said for the top section where the attenuation dam on the northern side of the swanky Gold Coast development remains incomplete.
This after the contractor walked off site almost a year ago allegedly because of non-payment by Tongaat Hulett.
With every storm, washaways on either side of the dam become larger, dumping more sand in the sensitive wetland area that is yet to be rehabilitated since last year’s catastrophic floods.
A completed attenuation dam is meant to be an empty depression in the ground which collects rainwater and releases it slowly over a long period of time.
Visiting the dam last week, the Courier found an abandoned construction site scarred by deep cracks in the earth from repeated washaways and indications of a blockage or design flaw that prevents the dam from slowly releasing water.
Half-built gabion walls meant to stabilise the sand dune, pegs lining intended work zones and remnants of dust netting haphazardly flapping in the wind tell a woeful story of abandonment.
Although the huge new culvert currently under construction will isolate the waterworks and the central sewer pump station below from future landslides, it will do little to prevent the red Berea sand from turning the sea into chocolate milk every time it rains.
In addition, photos and email correspondence obtained by the Courier show washaways into the forest section below Gold Coast, indicating that Sibaya Node 5’s entire attenuation system is not working adequately.
The attenuation dam on the south side of the Gold Coast development is understood to have been adjusted to look like a regular dam, subsequently reducing its ability to hold and gradually release water, instead causing water to build up and then release a deluge after downpours of as little as 30 to 50mm of rain.
To date, the cost of residential flooding damages allegedly caused by the node’s inadequate stormwater management system is estimated at R11-million.
Tongaat Hulett has reportedly commissioned engineering consultants Sivest to compile a report on addressing the shortcomings, but because of non-payment it has not yet been released.
The Courier approached eThekwini Municipality for comment on whether an approved stormwater management plan for Sibaya Node 5 was in place, whether the currently implemented stormwater management system complied with what was approved by the city and whether there was a timeline for addressing the shortcomings.
No response has yet been received.
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