Heritage Cases

The Applicant, Linnear Sugar Farming (Pty) Ltd, is proposing the establishment of a 67 000 m³ dam and the cultivation of 45.8 ha of existing cultivated land to macadamia nut trees, located on Portion 98 and Portion 116 of Drie Fonteinen No. 1127, Hopewell Farm, within the KwaDukuza Local and iLembe District Municipality, Umhlali, KwaZulu-Natal. During the Scoping Phase, a dam of 67 900 m³ was proposed, however, based on feedback from the Engineer and the survey that was undertaken, the proposed dam site will allow for a storage capacity of 67 000 m³. The proposed project comprises the following components: • Establishment of a 67 000 m³ dam; • Cultivation of approximately 45.8 ha of existing cultivated land; and • Installation of associated pipelines and pump station for irrigation purposes. The proposed dam site is located on Portion 116 of Drie Fonteinen No. 1127, at GPS coordinates 29°27'49.48" S and 31°07'49.87" E. It falls on a tributary of the Mhlali River, within the U30E quaternary catchment and the Pongola to Mtamvuna Water Management Area (WMA). The currently preferred dam design is proposed to comprise a storage capacity of 67 000 m³, a surface area of 1.5 ha, a wall height of 10 m and a wall length of 98 m. The Applicant is also proposing the cultivation of approximately 45.8 ha of land to macadamia nut trees. The proposed cultivation sites are located on Portion 98 and Portion 116 of Drie Fonteinen No. 1127. It is important to note that this land is existing cultivated land comprising sugar cane, and has been cultivated prior to 1998. No areas proposed to be cultivated to macadamia nut trees will require the clearance of land which has not previously been cultivated, or not cultivated within the past ten years (i.e. indigenous vegetation). Water from the dam is proposed to be pumped via 200 mm pipelines to the lands for irrigation purposes. The pipelines will have a total length of approximately 3.28 km. It is important to note that the proposed pipeline installation will not intersect any watercourses or land which has not previously been cultivated, or not cultivated within the past ten years (i.e. indigenous vegetation). As such, the pipelines will cross the existing cultivated lands, and will utilise the dam wall for connection to the pump station. The pump station will be 4 m x 4 m in extent, and will allow water to be pumped to the existing cultivated lands for irrigation of the macadamia nut trees. The proposed dam will thus serve as a storage mechanism to be used for supplementary irrigation to support the critical flowering phase of the macadamia nut tree growth cycle. Although 28 Hydrogeomorphic (HGM) Units were identified within a 500 m of the proposed study sites, seven HGM Units (HGM Unit 1 to 7) were identified to be potentially impacted should the proposed project not be appropriately managed. HGM Unit 1, and 3 to 7 have the potential to be impacted by the proposed cultivation activities, and HGM Unit 2 will be impacted by the proposed dam establishment as well as the cultivation activities. As such, the proposed cultivation sites were realigned to fall outside of the identified HGM Units. A 15 m freshwater ecosystem habitat buffer is also proposed to be implemented to maintain the ecological integrity and functioning of the HGM Units. The proposed dam establishment will result in the loss of 0.199 ha of freshwater ecosystem habitat, and as such, specific rehabilitation recommendations have been proposed to mitigate this loss at a 1:3 ratio according to the Wetland Offset Calculator as per the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI, 2014) wetland offset guidelines (i.e. 0.6 ha is required). Specific rehabilitation recommendations include the removal of sugar cane within the 15 m freshwater ecosystem habitat buffer, reshaping of the existing contours, terracing of the dam edge, as well as ongoing rehabilitation and revegetation of the proposed dam and watercourses onsite. In terms of the ‘mitigation hierarchy’, the loss of 0.199 ha of freshwater ecosystem habitat and associated offset of 0.6 ha is considered the final and only option for the proposed project. While the use of boreholes may be ecologically feasible, it is not economically feasible to ensure the sustainability of the farm as well as the job security of the labour. Under natural conditions, the proposed study sites would have been characterised by KwaZulu-Natal Coastal Belt Grassland (Cb 3), which falls under the Indian Ocean Coastal Belt biome. Although no flora of conservation concern was identified within the proposed study sites, the riparian habitat in the valley bottoms was identified to be in a ‘good ecological condition’. This riparian habitat will be protected through the implementation of the 5 m riparian habitat buffer which falls within the proposed 15 m freshwater ecosystem habitat buffer. The identification of 0.48 ha of riparian habitat within the proposed dam site and its associated loss, is considered acceptable from a biodiversity perspective given that the remainder of the riparian habitat within the farm has been well conserved. Although suitable habitats were identified within the proposed study sites, no fauna species are likely to occur due to the highly modified nature of these sites. The riparian habitat however, is likely to support viable populations of many common fauna species. With regards to the flood lines, and although the proposed study sites fall within the 1:100 year flood line and within the 32 m watercourse habitat buffer, the non-perennial streams associated with the proposed study sites can be considered low flooding risk areas. In order to reduce the probability of flood damage, appropriate mitigation measures have been provided. Based on the hydrology, there is sufficient water within the catchment to sustain the proposed dam and associated irrigation demand, as well as the Ecological Water Requirements (EWR). It is important to note that the target yield for the irrigation of five year old macadamia nut trees from the proposed dam will be possible. However, the assurance of supply for irrigation will vary depending on the pumping schedule and inflow into the proposed dam. Hopewell Farm is a commercial agricultural operation comprising sugar cane and macadamia nut trees. The proposed project will diversify and ensure the long-term sustainability of the farm through increased macadamia nut production and yields, as well as increased employment opportunities. This in turn will result in skills development, income generation and improved quality of life. Should the Water Use License Application (WULA) for the proposed project not be approved, the lands proposed to be cultivated to macadamia nut trees will be dry land.