Sand dune rehabilitation, in the Western Cape , Cape Town South Africa Irrigated (Watered) with Reclaimed Sewage Waters
Sand dune rehabilitation, in the Western Cape , Cape Town South Africa Irrigated (Watered) with Reclaimed Sewage Waters
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To be completed 2025: How many tons of Reclaimed Sewage Water, will be used to irrigate the Sand Dunes?
Will the irrigation piping be used to water the Sand Dunes for years to come?
What environmental impact, will this have on the marine life, wildlife and biodiversity of this coastline?
https://www.thesouthafrican.com/news/city-of-cape-town-table-view-beach-rehabilitation-sand-dunes-new-walkway-bloubergstrand-2025/
Coastline beach sand dune rehabilitation, in the Western Cape using stinky smelling reclaimed sewage water:
Full of pesticides, from the fruits, crops and produce people are eating.
Not to mention the birth control and pharmaceutical compounds, within reclaimed sewage waters.
None of these compounds are good for any beach marine environment’s biodiversity or sand dune soil microbes.
What about the aeration in the first step of treating sewage water.
The bad E.coli bacteria can become airborne and settle on the reclaimed sewage water pounds, which are used in the irrigation of sand dune vegetation rehabilitation and on the vegetation center islands , on the main roads
Not good for the health of natural biodiversity in these areas or for the local community neighborhoods either.
No irrigation of Sand Dunes:
Why ?
Because of contaminated and polluted Reclaimed Sewage Waters.
And of course to rehabilitate sand dunes successfully, the vegetation has to grow deep roots :
And not “Shallow Root Systems”:
Video: Why you must not irrigated coastal sand dunes
And reclaimed sewage water irrigation: Contains pesticides, pharmaceutical and birth control compounds, that will “Kill Soil Microbes” within the “Sand Dunes”.
Coastal Vegetation , need “Soil Microbes”, to be present in “Sand Dunes”.
Sand dunes also collect water for the indigenous plant life inland of the beach dunes.
The common sense of people and the known coastal marine data already exists, to protect and safeguard the health of coastal marine biodiversity and human life.
The basic visuals for dune vegetation to become established, requires a deep root systems.
If you walk on sand paths between the netted vegetation, you smell the stinky reclaimed sewage water.
What is the point of using this water containing pesticide and pharmacy compounds, if it “Kills” the sand dune soil microbes.
The bad ecoli bacteria is also a health risk and problem for humans, dogs and the marine life
The City, also took away the natural sand dunes, and made a steep sloping gradient towards the surf zones.
Normal coastlines have big sand dune mounts, and the backside inland areas, collect dried up seaweed flakes, salt mineral deposits and dried up vegetation biomass particles
When an onshore wind blows, water dew will collect and flow to the inland dip behind the sand dunes.
The back side of the dunes ,then become areas where coastal vegetation can become well established
The established sand dune vegetation can then colonise the sand dunes with seeds and growth.
As offshore winds blow the seeds around.
The seeds are then blown from the back of sand dunes, to the front of sand dunes.
These seeds then land on the seaweed spring high water marks, or a storm surge top water area, where they use the nutrients within the seaweed, to become established.
The new vegetation growth, in the front of the sand dunes, then collect sand, and the sand dunes start to grow in size and height.
The huge sand dune, along coastlines offer a buffer against “Storm Surges”.
What is the point of taking away coastal sand dunes or even making sloping gradients, like the City of Cape has done along “Blouberg Beach”.
The use of using reclaimed sewage waters, should be a major concern for DAFF , on an environmental impact level.
As well as for the health of tourists, residents/locals and visitors.
People walk barefoot or lay down on towels on beaches.
When people leave a beach and walk on paths ways, that are freshly irrigated with reclaimed sewage waters, the bad E.coli bacteria then attaches to their feet.
People will then climb into their vehicles or go to shops and restaurants.
Bad E.coli bacteria is then present between the toes, underneath their toe-nails.
Why would anyone want to endanger their own life or other people’s lives, with bad E.coli bacteria or even “Viruses”.
Most people will shelter at the foot of a sand dune, facing the surf zones.
An offshore breeze will then bring the stinky smelling airborne reclaimed sewage waters, to be inhaled by the lungs of those sun bathing at the foot of a sand dune
It is not healthy or wise for people to inhale bad bacteria or viruses.
I don’t know how they can give Cape Town Beach’s Blue Flag statuses, if they use reclaimed sewage waters on the beach foot paths and side walks.
It is the year 2023, and South Africa’s various government departments and political parties, keep on talking about protecting the “Natural Fauna and Flora Biodiversity”, with in the country.
The political parties mention COP, Climate Change, Global Warming and Nature based solutions via their media platform.
So if it’s “Nature based Solutions”, then surely this would mean duplicating the natural processes, functions, cycles and rhythms of coastal sand dunes?
Why?
Because Nature has being doing this for millions and millions of years already.
“Human Beings” are naturally born gifted as problem solvers.
It is now the time, for Humanity to be afforded and allowed, to be able to use their natural gifts, of problem solving abilities and skills, to make a positive difference for themselves, families, community neighborhoods, country, Nature and this Beautiful Blue Planet called Earth.