Rule 13-4- Loose impediments in Hazard

Many of the players in competitive tournaments are aware of the prohibitions in Rule 13-4. When the ball is in a bunker or water hazard, they take good care to avoid touching a loose impediment.
In one of the amateur events concluded recently, I was involved in a ruling which applies Rule 13-4. One of the player's ball was in a lateral water Hazard which was also full of dry leaves. A gentle breeze was prevalent. The player elected to play a stroke. He carefully hovered his club face behind the ball and above a bunch of leaves. Before he played his stroke, the  gentle breeze which was prevalent made one of the leaves flutter.The hovering club face touched this leaf.I duly applied the penalty under Rule 13-4. The player wanted a second opinion. After conferring over phone with a senior international referee, the penalty was confirmed.
In the above case, the player could have taken a little bit more care to avoid the breach as there was a prevalent breeze and the danger of touching a leaf always existed. But what about situations where it is not possible to avoid such a breach. For example, when a player is about to make a stroke, a sudden gust of wind brings a leaf from elsewhere and the club touches this leaf before a stroke?Can we apply equity to condone the breach? This point is worth debating.