BEACH PROTECTION IN MAURITIUS

A private property owner in Black River, Mauritius approached Maccaferri Africa /African Gabions for a solution to a recurring erosion problem after the failure of an erected armoured rock sea wall. The proposed design was to be aesthetically pleasing, allowing maximum usage of the beach frontage, whilst at the same time being structurally suitable to resist severe cyclonic weather patterns and extreme wave action associated with it. There was evidence of long-shore sediment transport and slight off-shore sediment transport which could be associated with the aforementioned wave action.

The solution encompassed the combined usage of a GeoMac™ sea wall and a Macreef™ submerged breakwater. The submerged breakwater consisted of 2 sets of 6m long, 2m high and 0,6m thick structures that were installed 6m apart, at a distance 15m from the high water mark. These were aptly placed to ensure invisibility at low tide. The 4m wide GeoMac™ was placed under the existing embankment at a slope of 1:4. This was done to supplement the Macreef™ structures in the event of uncontrollably large swells.