VIDEO: Alkantstrand rehab ready for holidays
Once the project is completed, its success will largely depend on continued supply of dredge sediment to nourish the sand-starved beach.
THE main section of the beach at Alkantstrand will be ready for the holiday season rush.
The City of uMhlathuze engineering department said by 12 December, construction of the geobag retaining wall will be complete from the lifeguard house to about 80 metres northwards.
More than 300 geobags had already been laid by Thursday, and three excavators are working flat out building what should be an effective barrier to waves that have ravished the coastal dune defence, especially during storm surges at high tides.
The 2.8-ton geobags are being laid from a foundation one metre below sea level and will rise to form an artificial sloping that will eventually be 300 metres long, comprising about 3 000 geobags.
Landscaping and a ramp onto the beach are also part of the contract being undertaken by Leomat Construction.
Once the project is completed, its success will largely depend on continued supply of dredge sediment to nourish the sand-starved beach.
But this may still not be enough to save the blue flag beach in the long-term.
‘Ultimately we will have to find ways to break the speed of the waves to reduce their power, which has caused all the damage to the coastal dune face,’ said Beach Manager Shakier Hiraman.
‘We may even have to consider another break wall just north of the dredger outfall pipe to keep the sand in the area.’
