Dolomite not an excuse for housing
2013-02-28 22:21
Parliament - The presence of dolomite is no reason for
the state to refuse to build houses for country's poor, Parliament's human
settlements portfolio committee said on Thursday.
The committee met the Council for Geoscience on
Wednesday, when the presence of dolomite - which is believed to cause cave-ins
or sinkholes - was discussed.
"The council explained that, contrary to what municipalities
have been saying to the committee, houses could be built on dolomitic
grounds," the committee said in a statement.
The committee said it had sought expert advice after
encountering conflicting reports about the presence of dolomite in the North
West, which resulted in homes not being built on land identified for this
purpose.
"During our oversight visits, we came across areas
that were exposed to sinkholes because they were built on dolomitic land,"
committee chairperson Nomhle Dambuza said.
"... We understand that building on this type of a
land is risky, but it should not be used to disadvantage our people."
Dambuza said ways should be found to prevent sinkholes.
"The council's [engineering geologist] Frederik
Stapelberg said dolomite needed to be first assessed by a competent engineer,
who would be able to determine what type of development would be suitable for
such an area, based on the magnitude of possible sinkholes."
In areas where there was a possibility of bigger
sinkholes forming, a higher class development could be considered, while in
areas where smaller sinkholes could occur, a dense development could be
considered.
The council had warned that the tests associated with
such an assessment could be costly.
Dambuza said there were examples of developments being
built on dolomitic land, including in Centurion.
- SAPA
