Work on Dig-Out Port begins
Transnet National Port Authority will be undertaking geotechnical drilling activities on Isipingo beach from April 16 to May 10, 2013. The drilling process is an important and necessary step that has to be done in an early assessment for the proposed Durban Dig-Out Port project (DDOP) project.
Geotechnical conditions will play a major role in determining the viability of the proposed port and are critical to ensuring a safe and cost effective design solution. Therefore, a number of geotechnical assessments to gather information on the current characteristics of the site and immediate surrounds, have been commissioned.
Transnet assures the residents of Isipingo that the drilling will be unobtrusive and the beach will remain open to residents. There will be no drilling during the weekend and Transnet National Port Authority also assures the public that it will make every effort to keep disturbances to a minimum. The necessary access permits and permissions have been obtained from the relevant land owners which are the eThekwini Municipality and Department of Public Works as well as the Department of Environmental Affairs.
The work involves, among others things, retrieving a sample from the ground, logging its characteristics and carrying out various soil property testing through an approved laboratory. Two drilling rigs will be used in order to halve the period over which the drilling takes place thereby reducing the inconvenience to beach users.
Transnet’s Programme director for the proposed Durban Dig-Out Port project, Marc Descoins said, “When the drilling commences, some parts of the beach will not be accessible and we apologise in advance to local residents for the inconvenience. The boreholes, upon completion will be filled immediately as a safety measure.”
While Transnet is satisfied that all legal requirements to undertake the drilling have been met, they remain open to any queries and questions that members of the community may have on the drilling activities and the broader port development.
Isipingo Hills resident and chairman of the Isipingo Ratepayers Association, Dharmanand Nowbuth said he is surprised that the drilling has begun while discussions with the City Council and the South Durban Basin Dig-Out Port Committee are still underway.
Nowbuth said, “There seems to be a bit of confusion because at one point they are saying that they are ready to begin and now they are conducting feasibility tests. We are concerned about the inconvenience that it will pose to the community and beach goers of Isipingo Beach. I have received many calls from concerned residents who are also worried that this area will be an eyesore.”
Leonard Pillay of the Isipingo Beach said residents have to accept the fact that the Dig-Out Port is a reality.
“No matter how much we protest, the mere fact that it has been gazetted indicates that it will come to pass. As much as it will have a drastically negative effect on our area and devalue our properties, there is nothing we can do. There is no noise level as such from the present drilling but I do know that once the port is up and running, our lives will never be the same again. My family has been sea netting at this beach for over 80 years and this will affect us as well. Families will not be able to spend quality family time at the beach anymore. As much as we protest we have no option but to accept it,” said Pillay.
Meanwhile, Transnet SOC Ltd has concluded the first in a series of early stakeholder engagement sessions with local organisations on the Proposed Durban Dig-Out Port project.
Key representatives from local businesses, property, environmental and civic associations were encouraged to participate in focus group meetings held in March in order to comment on a Discussion Document which was distributed to them in mid-February 2013.
Descoins said, “Involving key stakeholders at this early stage of the process is essential as it ensures strategic participation in the discussion around the project’s environmental and socio-economic issues and impacts. We believe that the recent sessions were valuable in gaining a better understanding of the needs of the local communities, including details on aspects of the programme that stakeholders considered to be working well, areas that require improvement and key recommendations regarding priorities.”
The proposed port forms a key pillar of Government’s Strategic Integrated Projects (SIPs) to upgrade the Durban-Free State-Gauteng Freight Corridor (also known as SIP2 in the National Infrastructure Plan), thereby unlocking South Africa’s trade opportunities in order to boost the country’s long-term economic prospects.
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