Breaching of the Seekoei River mouth begins
The breaching of the Seekoei estuary mouth at Paradise Beach got underway yesterday morning in Jeffreys Bay.
It is expected that it will take at least three weeks to remove enough sand for the estuary mouth to be opened, with a 50m x 500m trench set to be excavated.
The excavation site, as well as a section of the parking area, have been cordoned off.
“We ask that people please remain outside these demarcated areas for safety reasons,” said the Kouga Municipality in a statement.
The Seekoei River is suffering from a lack of base flow into the estuary with up to 26 legal dams in the catchment area and many illegal dams preventing the flow of fresh water.
This causes a high salinity level in the estuary and residents have reported numerous big fish dying off in the estuary that borders both Aston Bay and Paradise Beach.
The reason for the breach is to create a flow of seawater into the Seekoei River estuary to assist in reducing the salinity level.