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NEWS: Coastal wetlands are unable to adapt to the rate of sea-level rise and are constrained by infrastructure

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Wetlands, precious ecosystems that shield coastlines, safeguard drinking water from saltwater contamination, and nourish diverse wildlife, face a dire threat from the accelerating pace of sea-level rise, driven by global warming. Wetlands have historically adapted to rising sea levels by expanding upward and inland. However, predictions indicate that the waterline will soon shift far too rapidly for wetlands to keep pace. Consequently, future decades may witness the tragic loss of these vital wetland ecosystems. Wetlands along coastlines have historically played valuable roles for people and wildlife, but are now facing the threat of sea-level rise. As temperatures rise, sea levels are rising at an accelerating rate, and wetlands are unable to keep pace by building upward and migrating inland. This is due to human-induced climate change and the burning of fossil fuels, which has warmed the oceans and melted glaciers. Sea levels are now rising at about 10 millimeters per year, and are
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NEWS: New data shows how broken South Africa’s roads are

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A new report by business consulting firm Frost & Sullivan shows that more than half (54%) of the country’s unpaved road network is in poor to very poor condition, while about a third (30%) of the paved network is in poor to very poor condition..


While the South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) is responsible for all major highways, regional departments oversee provincial as well as regional routes while local municipalities oversee smaller urban roads that connect national and regional roads to the major network.

Most of the provincial road funding comes from the national budget in the form of the provincial road maintenance grant (PRMG).

“The provincial road network condition has been on a steady decline since the early 90s due to several reasons, including curtailed funding allocations to roads and the shrinking project output by the public sector,” Frost & Sullivan said.


The group added that the Eastern Cape, Free State, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and the North West in particular are struggling with the maintenance of their respective road networks.

“Not only are both the paved and unpaved roads in danger of further degrading to poor condition, but there also exists a significant backlog of roads that require rehabilitation which is far above the available funding received by the provincial departments.

“With Sanral leading the revival of the industry, it indirectly incentivizes, albeit at a slower rate and smaller size, regional departments to also publish tenders.”

These tenders, however, are focused mainly on the maintenance and upgrading of regional roads rather than construction, said Frost & Sullivan.

“We have quantified our backlogs as far as upgrades (surfacing) are concerned. The cost of our current backlogs, which are roads that are due for upgrades, is worth R23 billion. Indication of the amount of work that is still required,” said the Eastern Cape’s department of transport/

Some roads better than others 

As with the provinces, certain municipalities are better positioned to maintain their road network than others. These include the City of Cape Town, Johannesburg, and Tshwane, Frost & Sullivan said.

However, nearly a quarter of the total metropolitan road network is in danger of degrading from fair to poor condition.

Frost & Sullivan found that the unpaved road network is in generally poor to very poor condition (54%), while the paved road network on the other hand is in better condition, with 21% being in poor to very poor condition.

As with the provincial road network, there exists a considerable backlog in terms of road maintenance, construction, and rehabilitation.


Despite these issues, market participants see the national, provincial as well as municipal backlog as an opportunity rather than a downfall.

“We also have the metros, for example, the eThekwini metro in Durban. They do a good job of maintaining their metro infrastructure and are fairly reliant when it comes to tenders,” said a regional market participant.

If the current trend of tender awarding is to be carried through, demand for contractors at all levels will increase over the next three-five years.


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