DUBE TRADEPORT CORPORTATION TRADEZONE 2 11.08 HECTARE EQUIVALENTS OFFSET WETLAND REHABILITATION INTERVENTIONS

Dube Tradeport Corporation was granted an environmental authorisation for the construction and operation of TradeZone 2, which is phase 2 of the existing and operational TradeZone 1 development. The development of TradeZone 2, covers an area of approximately 150 hectares and has resulted in the destruction of 43.4ha of wetlands. As part of the conditions of authorisation, DTPC is required to identify, secure and rehabilitate an additional 11.08 functional hectare equivalents (ha-eq) in order to meet the residual wetland offset requirement for TradeZone 2. As such, wetland systems have been identified for rehabilitation within DTPC owned land parcels, and a detailed rehabilitation plan has been compiled providing the detailed interventions needed to be implemented in order to rehabilitate and sustain the identified 11.08 ha equivalents of functional wetland. These proposed wetland interventions trigger listed activities in terms of the National Environmental Management Act (Act 107 of1998), and associated Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations 2014 (as amended in 2017).
Thirteen wetland units (11.08 ha) have been identified and proposed for rehabilitation. Twelve of these wetland units are tributaries of, and drain towards the Umdloti River, and one forms part of the Hlawe River system and drains eastwards. Works proposed at the wetland offsets, includes earthworks, installation of structural interventions, alien vegetation management, establishment of a wetland nursery, revegetation and planting. The timing and order of the aforementioned works will be prudent for successful implementation. Table 1 below provides a summary of all the interventions that have been proposed within the candidate wetland sites.
TABLE 1. WETLAND OFFSET UNITS AND PROPOSED INTERVENTIONS
HGM unit Intervention Type
1239_1 Mass Reshaping, Check walls, Concrete drop inlet weir.

1240_3 Mass Reshaping, Check walls, Concrete drop inlet weir

1240_2 Mass Reshaping, Concrete drop inlet weir, Diversion berm
1240_4 Box Drop Inlet, Mass Reshaping, Check walls
1240_1_RIP Remove alien vegetation, install erosion control blankets on bare banks and re-establish riparian vegetation
1240_1 Mass Reshaping, Check walls
142_1 & 142_1_RIP Slope banks and revegetate, Mass Reshaping, Check walls, Remove alien vegetation, install erosion control blankets on bare banks and re-establish riparian vegetation, Diversion berm, Spreader canal
142_2 Mass Reshaping, Deactivate Road
139_2 Mass Reshaping, Check walls, Deactivate Road, Raise Road and install pipe culvert
139_1 Concrete Drop inlet weir, mass Reshaping with Earth Structures, Check walls, reinforced concrete chute, Formalised grassed Swale, Backfill Dam, Deactivate Road
139_3 & 139_1_Rip Infill Drain, Deactivate Road, Rock masonry Chute