bosbrokkies
Bush buzz
Lake St Lucia’s lifeline cut off
The fresh water currently flowing into iSimangaliso’s
Lake St Lucia Estuary from the uMfolozi River as a
result of recent rain is a godsend.
With 90% of Lake St Lucia’s surface water dried
up, 315km2 of the 350km2 Lake’s bed lies exposed
and barren, ravaged by the drought. What little
water is left is 5 times saltier than the sea in places.
The highest tolerance level for estuarine species is
between 2 and 3 times saltier than the sea.
Fresh water in the main lake will have a tangible
positive impact for the 15 000 rural households whose
livelihoods rely significantly on Lake St Lucia and the
sustainability of the Tugela Banks prawn fishery, not to
mention the 800 hippo and 1 200 large Nile crocodile.
Both of these are listed on the IUCN Red List of
Threatened Species and iSimangaliso has the largest
populations of hippo and crocodile in South Africa.
Comparative satellite images of Lake St Lucia taken in
September 2014 (left) and February 2016 (right)
Between 12 and 14 March 2016, some 6.2 billion
litres of fresh water entered the Lake St Lucia system,
following rains both in the catchment and locally. This
amounts to an average of 2.5 billion litres per day and
provides an important buffer against the possibility of
continued low rainfall over the next six months. Sixty
percent of Lake St Lucia’s fresh water comes from the
uMfolozi.
These are the first significant flows of water into the
system since December 2015 and it is hoped that
some of the negative impacts of the drought will be
reduced.
Yesterday morning, fresh water forcefully pushed its
way into the 20km long Narrows, and the 50km long
main body of iSimangaliso’s Lake St Lucia received its
first influx of fresh water from the uMfolozi River in
six months. If water continues to flow into the Estuary
for another two days, water could reach Catalina Bay
and possibly even go further north to become aquatic
habitat once again.
Unfortunately, the up side in this case also comes with
a down side.
On 12 March 2016, iSimangaliso received notification
from UCOSP that water levels had reached 1.2msl at
the Cotcane measuring gauge and should begin the
process of establishing a breach of the uMfolozi River
out to sea. This notification follows from an interim
settlement agreement that was made an order of
court in October 2015, and which is valid until May
2016. Excavators have been deployed to the beach
and the breach was completed yesterda