Durban — The Msunduzi Municipality’s Environmental Management Unit (EMU) claimed that land purchased for a Bakerville Heights housing project is unsuitable for construction.
The project, in Ward 30, forms part of a KwaZulu-Natal KZN Department of Human Settlements development, with plans to build 115 housing units for military veterans as part of Phase 1.
The Democratic Alliance (DA), spokesperson on human settlements, councillor Marlaine Nair, said they raised the alarm after a screening report by Msunduzi’s EMU.
The report – which comes while construction forges ahead – indicates that the site is completely unsuitable for environmental reasons. Earlier this month, the DA raised concerns from both an environmental and public consultation aspect. This, after our own site inspection revealed various issues.
The EMU findings were high biodiversity development constraints. The area falls within an irreplaceable Critical Biodiversity Area, high wetland development constraints, with wetland features confirmed on site and extremely steep slopes. These require further assessment and a geotechnical understanding established as well as erosion control measures, should development occur.
The report further states that it is highly possible that once the site is disturbed from its natural form, including the denuding of vegetation, there will be increased water run-off, which will impact residents living below.
It also states that KZN’s Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs will need to be consulted 'as future development on the application site does trigger the need for Environmental Authorisation in terms of the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA, Act 107 of 1988).
The Msunduzi sustainable development and city enterprises department EMU said a site visit was conducted on July 18 and August 1, 2022, and the property had been assessed in terms of the provincially Gazetted Municipal Environmental Management Framework (EMF), Draft Ecosystem Services Plan (ESP) and Draft Msunduzi Conservation Plan (C Plan).
The EMF report identified the property as having high Biodiversity Development Constraints and high Wetland Development Constraints. This means wetland features have been confirmed on site and there should be no development within 32m from the edge of the watercourse and no development should occur within 500m from the outer boundary of a wetland, without the necessary environmental authorisation.
Mitigation measures are to be included in reports and wetland areas are to be demarcated and avoided (marked as no-go areas), during any construction activities on the application site. An appropriate buffer is recommended by specialists to be reserved.
This unit has reviewed the relevant spatial datasets and has established that the site falls within areas that have been identified as being sensitive (viz. high wetland, high biodiversity, extremely steep slope constraints) in terms of the Msunduzi Environmental Management Framework. In addition, the EMF recommends that a Storm Water Management plan be implemented.
The site has additionally been reviewed against any proposed activities, which may require compliance with the NEMA Act No. 107 of 1998) and the associated Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations of April 17, 2017.
The EMF stated that any future development activities applied for on-site may not commence prior to an Environmental Authorisation being issued by the Competent Authority, that being the Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs.
Nair said it was unacceptable that, in spite of warnings, construction continues placing the lives of surrounding residents, as well as those who are to inhabit the buildings, at risk.
“It would seem that KZN’s recent floods have taught this department nothing, even after witnessing the effects of the destruction of biodiversity on a first-hand basis. The large number of KZN government-built houses and flats that are falling apart and are structurally unsound all point to a trend of expert reports being ignored without any consideration for future consequences,” Nair said.
Daily News