MINERAL sands mining company Tronox KZN Sands has proposed to upgrade an existing bridge on Fairbreeze Mine Extension C (FBCX) south of Mtunzini to improve access for mining operations.
According to the mine’s environment consultant, Green Door Environmental, the structure will be designed to minimise negative impacts on the wetland system while improving access across the area.
As part of the Offset Requirements on the mine, Tronox also applied to implement a Wetland Rehabilitation Programme on the 55-hectare site located within the Siyaya River catchment.
‘The rehabilitation programme aims to restore wetland function and the enhancement of terrestrial areas by re-establishing grassland habitat,’ said Green Door Environmental in its report.
‘The focus for the rehabilitation of this wetland is to maximise the ecological functioning of the site with a focus on reinstating natural habitat types and increasing opportunities for the critically endangered Pickersgill’s Reed Frog to colonise the area.’
Both projects will entail the construction of channels, bridges and weirs within 32 metres of a watercourse.
An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) will inform stakeholders and the public on the development and identify potential positive and negative effects on the ecological and socio-economic environment.
So far, threats identified include impacts on the area’s fauna and flora as well as degraded water quality from sedimentation occurring during the construction processes.
Failure of interventions could also lead to further degradation of wetland areas, indicated Green Door Environmental.
For the past three years, the Mtunzini Conservancy (MC) has fought tooth and nail to prevent the mine’s development, especially Extention C (FBCX), which is believed to be a ‘death knell’ to the town positioned only 100 metres from Mtunzini’s southern border.
‘We believe that the fight is not over, and that continued opposition – at least to the mining of FBCX – will yield a positive outcome both for the environment and the town,’ said MC Chairperson Barbara Chedzey in a letter to the conservancy’s members and stakeholders.
A Draft Basic Assessment Report will be made available for public viewing at the Mtunzini Public Library from early this week.
