Channel maintenance.

UCOPS had a farm under water and something had to be done with the standing water. Apparently the hydraulic lock between the closed iMfolozi mouth and the Mtuba water works does not play a very important role in the availability of water up stream.

This lead to a brief stand of between Park Authority and The Farmers.

The Farmers claim they have the right to drain the access water into the ocean. The Park Authority dispute it.

Fact is the flood plain farms was developed many years ago to bring relief to farmers during dry spells and during wet spells they where abandoned. I know as a school boy we use to go mad on our motor bikes down in the plains and earned extra petrol by driving the tractors that plowed the rough land scape after the water receeded. Those years UCOPS and Parksboard was forced to work together with reclamation.

Reclamation took over after the farmers proofed their worth in balancing man and nature with beautiful hard surface development. It was just before people knew the on shore currents actually flow from South to North.

Any way to cut a long story short. UCOPS and the authority agreed to disagree but UCOPS took the challenge to revive the link channel and drained 500mm of water away from the flooded 30/40 hectares.

This is one of the pictures taken on the day the link channel was re commissioned.

By Petrus Viviers
0813427371
BBM Pin:2B84CDD7
Cell: 0813427371