Beaches at Big Bay, Milnerton and False Bay are at the forefront of erosion caused by climate change.
We have seen serious erosion In Monwabisi Beach and Strandfontein. The same is happening in Big Bay. A planned retreat is now taking place. Hard engineering will only exacerbate the situation. The walkway has been pulled back 30 metres at Big Bay. What will happen next is anybody’s guess.
The storm event that occurred along Milnerton beach in July this year was shocking. Almost all the sand vanished one night as a result of the surge. Properties along the beach were in danger of being undermined. The adjoining restaurant and the golf course were seriously threatened by the storm.
Insurance companies no longer cover some of these properties.
Then the sand that had vanished from Milnerton Beach returned just as suddenly a few days later. Those who had not seen the earlier damage would have wondered what all the fuss was about and why certain parts were out of bounds. The loss of sand from many beaches causes the dune cordon to disappear. Nearly 10m of the beach and dune cordon were lost after one storm near the Ons Huisie.
How do I know all of this? I am privileged to belong to the sustainability and resilience committee. I am, however, alarmed at how climate change is impacting Cape Town. The amount of money that will be needed to rehabilitate our beaches and build resilience is going to be enormous.
In our briefing, we heard that storm surges were intensifying and that swell heights were increasing. Our beaches were lashed by big storms in 2001, 2002, 2005, 2008, 20017 and 2018. The last storm was by far the worst. The swells that previously came from the south west are now tracking from the south. It’s a full frontal attack now with no abatement of wave force through land features in its path. False Bay was going to be most vulnerable.
The modelling done by consulting engineers PRDW indicates that the building of the port caused an alteration in the ocean dynamics. Consequently, all of the structures that were built along the coast are now interfacing with the ocean more directly. One has to see the photographs to understand the impact of rising sea levels and the swelling storm surges on our beaches. Many of the world’s best beaches are being washed away regardless of the high sea walls that were designed and built there to contain storm surges. We have all seen storms that are becoming increasingly fiercer and more frequent. Wide sandy beaches, as people all over the world once knew them, are disappearing.
Hurricane Sandy and Typhoon Haiyan must give all of us a sense of foreboding. The lesson we learnt from both of them is that it is not man-made concrete walls, but heavily sanded beaches which are the most effective shock absorbers.
Ecologically pristine beaches are an enormous economic asset. Tourism thrives were wide sandy beaches prevail. City engineers are now advising that the best approach is a slow retreat. Hard engineering is being eschewed both because of costs and failures. The City’s coastal management branch, moreover, is also starting a programme of rehabilitating denuded beaches. This is going to be a slow and costly exercise very dependent on water availability for irrigation. There is no quick fix and many property owners may be adversely affected.
Let us all do what we can to preserve the ecology of the beaches. While we can marvel at engineering feats, the complex dynamics of the oceans will prevail as climate change intensifies.
* Farouk Cassim is a councillor with Cope.
** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.