Gallery Update

KNYSNA NEWS - Despite erosion control cylinders, also called soil sausages, placed in the Western Head area of Knysna, this did not stop a mudslide last week.

The Working on Fire (WoF) teams have been placing the “sausages” in and around Knysna. These are compost-filled tubes that have proven to be an effective solution for soil erosion while facilitating new vegetation growth for a permanent run-off protection solution and as silt barriers.

The rain that fell on August 16 and 17 was welcome, but it created a huge mess for a Lake Brenton homeowner.

The mud slip happened at the bottom of the road to Lake Brenton on the evening of August 17.

A local Lake Brenton couple, who do not want to be named, said it was their intention to turn in for the night was interrupted when a deluge of mud hit their property at 21:20 and swept through the garden and parts of their house, leaving a deep layer of mud on the floors and over the furniture.

The homeowner stated that she was very relieved that the family and pets were all fine, but was not looking forward to the clean-up – which will take some time.

Allsound security company also confirmed this mudslide resulted in their area-based vehicle getting stuck.

Ashley Boetius of Allsound said: "He responded to an alarm at one of the properties on the road towards Featherbed. On his return back to Brenton, the road had completely been submerged by mud and he was unable to exit. Fortunately, with our infrastructure, we were immediately able to dispatch a vehicle to cover any alarms in the Brenton area while duty managers were sent out to assist."

Boetius said managers went on site to assess the situation and it was evident that there was no possibility of retrieving the that night, August 17."The vehicle was stranded more than a kilometre in and the officer was forced to abandon it and walk out. He was provided with a back up vehicle and duties continued as per normal."

The following morning, the Featherbed Company assisted with clearing of the road from their side and were able to retrieve the vehicle around 17:00 that day. The Knysna-Plett Herald is not aware of any other serious mudslides.

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ARTICLE: JULIE JEFFERYS

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