World Heritage lake takes in sea water in rough weather

Mar 4, 2007, 15:55 GMT

Johannesburg - Rough seas and strong winds have waters from the Indian Ocean to seep through a sandbank into the pristine Lake St Lucia off the South Africa's east coast at the weekend, according to reports.

Further high tides in the coming days were expected to result in additional inflows into Africa's largest estuarine system and Unesco World Heritage Site in KwaZulu-Natal Province, according to weather reports.

Ecologists have noted that the inflows caused by waves of up to six metres high and believed to be an after effect of a cyclone that struck south of the Indian Ocean island of Madagascar, might pose some risk to the sensitive ecosystem of Lake St Lucia.

But, it could also have some ecological benefits for the area that has been experiencing a particularly severe drought in the last six years.

Environmental authorities in the area said prevailing conditions had caused the mouth of the lake to open for the first time in five years, with sea water forcing channels of up to between 40 and 50 metres in at least five places by Friday.

'It is expected that over the next six days, the tides are expected to continue to be high due to the combination of rough seas and spring tides,' the KwaZulu-Natal Parks Board said in a statement.

The lake forms part of the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park, covering a surface area of 36,000 square kilometres and is the location for diverse plant and animal species.