Cape Town is preparing its beaches for the windy months, with the City’s annual beach sand lowering programme set to get under way from Tuesday, 1 October 2024.
The work might look like a simple reshaping of the sand, but there is an important reason behind it.
Several of Cape Town’s coastal areas have been significantly altered over time, making the management of windblown sand an ongoing challenge. By lowering the level of sand along selected sections of beach, the City aims to allow more seawater to reach the beach during high tide, as the City announced on their website.
That helps keep larger areas of sand wet and, in turn, reduces the amount of loose sand that can be blown towards nearby roads and infrastructure.
The City plans to complete the work before the festive season and ahead of the summer wind season, with a provisional completion date of Friday, 8 November 2024.
Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Alderman Eddie Andrews, said the work is intended to make the beaches easier to manage while keeping them enjoyable for visitors.
‘The lowering of beach sand levels enables greater areas of the beach to become wet during high tides, therefore limiting the potential for wind-blown sand to inundate adjacent roads and infrastructure,’ Andrews said.
‘We are aiming to complete the work ahead of the festive season to ensure beachgoers have unhindered fun when next they visit these beaches.’
Which Cape Town beaches are affected?
The programme will cover four beach areas across the city’s coastline.
At Fish Hoek Beach, workers will lower the sand between Jager’s Walk, in front of the Galley Restaurant, and the stormwater outlet near the main parking area.
At Muizenberg Beach, the work will stretch from Surfer’s Corner to the Zandvlei River mouth.
In Gordon’s Bay, the affected section will run from the Spur restaurant to the northern end of the parking area.
The entire length of Bikini Beach will also be mechanically lowered.
The work is scheduled to begin on 1 October, subject to everything going ahead as planned.
Visitors will not be prevented from accessing the beaches while the work takes place.
However, the City is urging beach users to give the machinery plenty of space and maintain a safe distance while construction equipment is operating.
The timing of the project is deliberate, with the City hoping to have the work wrapped up before the stronger summer winds arrive.
For regular visitors to Fish Hoek, Muizenberg, Gordon’s Bay and Bikini Beach, that should mean fewer problems with windblown sand spilling into surrounding areas during the summer months.
Be the first to know – Join our WhatsApp Channel for content worth tapping into! Click here to join!
Also read:
Thunderstorms loom over Western Cape as severe weather warning is issued
Picture: Rob Brown / Gallo Images
