KZN families in the dark about airport move - 27 Aug '07

kzn families in the dark about airport move


the king shaka international airport and dube tradeport have finally been given the green light, but more than 1 300 waterloo families who will have to leave their homes as a result have not even been told they will have to move.

blissfully unaware of the threat of eviction hanging over their heads, residents on sunday knew only that the new airport was to be built.

according to a written agreement signed by ethekwini municipal manager mike sutcliffe and kwazulu-natal director-general kwazi mbanjwa, several poor and working class communities would be affected by noise levels above 55 decibels. about 1 330 families, mainly from the waterloo low-cost housing settlement, would definitely have to move.

another 7 580 families from the waterloo, herrwood and mount moreland areas may be spared from having to move - provided their homes can be soundproofed. they are likely to be exposed to noise of 45-55 decibels.

while some waterloo residents were not completely against the idea of moving provided they would be relocated to areas near schools for their children and would live in the type of homes they were accustomed to, they were outraged that they had not been informed of the decision.

and judging by the number of residents extending and rebuilding their homes, the fact that they would have to relocate was furthest from their minds.

many of the families have only been living in waterloo for a few years after being moved from previous settlements such as blackburn village. waterloo is now their home.

velile hlangabeza, 33, was still plastering his home after it was rebuilt after a fire in march. he has lived in waterloo for five years and said he did not know about his possible relocation.

"i'm upset about that. as you can see i'm fixing my house after my other one burnt down," he said.

however, after the reason for the intended move was explained to him, hlangabeza said if it would be safer to live somewhere else away from the noise, he would not object, provided the area had decent infrastructure.

mamoona hussen, 38, who lives with her husband and two children, was shocked at the news that she and her family might have to move.

"we had to move from blackburn village two years ago to this place. i don't know what we are going to do if we had to move again. we are used to the people here, we are one big family," she said.

mxolisi ndzimbomvu, councillor for waterloo ward 58, said he had not been told of the details involved in the moving of residents, but had read about it in the newspapers.

he said it was too soon to say how the residents would deal with the news, but added that once it was certain who was moving residents who were unhappy would be able to appeal against the decision.

for merebank residents, it is difficult to hold an uninterrupted conversation, have a good night's sleep or enjoy watching tv and listening to the radio. living directly beneath the flight path of aircraft heading to and from durban international airport - less than 1km away - peace and quiet is something they have never experienced. a busy railway line next to the area that carries fuel and chemical products from the nearby refineries only makes the noise levels worse.

when the king shaka airport and dube trade port open, residents of waterloo, herrwood and mount moreland can expect these noisy changes to their lives.

"when you talk on the phone and there's a plane flying by, you have to ask the person on the other end to wait. this is very irritating, and expensive when you are making long-distance calls," said a raj mahal road resident who lives metres away from the railway line and close to the airport.

the resident, who has lived in merebank for 20 years, said it was initially difficult to adjust to the noise. however, residents in the area said they gradually grew accustomed to the noise and hardly heard it any longer.

however, the lack of clear noise management legislation has made it difficult to address how noise in residential areas would be managed despite the south african bureau of standards' codes and standards used to calculate how development can take place around airports.

the agreement did not outline what acoustic treatments would be used to insulate against noise. however, most residents abroad who lived close to airports looked at doors, windows, vent baffles, attic insulation and possible wall and ceiling modifications.