Extensive work done to curb erosion
2009-06-11
Lise Beyers
JUST a week after the fire which devastated Paarl Mountain in March this year, municipal mountain ranger Louise de Roubaix started implementing emergency measures to control the inevitable erosion which follows such an event. The fire destroyed almost 4000 hectares of Paarl Mountain fynbos, leaving a scorched earth with no cover to protect the top soil from erosion. Roubaix’s first steps were to identify areas along the mountain which were most susceptible to erosion in the winter months. For two months after the fire, she and her team worked non-stop to curb this problem. “In the areas above Auret and Hout Streets, we established terraces, using logs and hay-bales to divert the water away from properties, towards stormwater drains. “Trenches which had already formed due to rain, have been deepened and diverted to these drains as well, and new trenches have been dug. “It is then also the Municipaliy’s duty to make sure that these drains are checked regularly, to see that they do not get blocked. “There is no way to stop the flow of water, we can only do our best to divert it.” But when the rain of last week subsided, Roubaix and her team were once again on the slopes of Paarl Mountain, sorting out problem areas, which caused minor flooding in homes in Upper Auret Street. And apart from this, Jan Phillips Mountain Drive, which was recently graded, has also been damaged by the water pouring down the slopes of the mountain. “In general we are happy with the work which we have done. We have managed to prevent most of the top soil from shifting, which could have been a disaster. “After the first rain, the vegetation is now starting to grow nicely, and this will help curb further erosion.”
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