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EThekwini Municipality takes the lead on riverine management
Durban was the first city in Africa to release its climate action plan
While sea, sand and sun are what most people associate with Durban, the city is building a reputation as a climate change champion. Durban was the first city in Africa to release its climate action plan, which includes strategies to conserve and manage its ecological resources, especially river systems.
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Durban, a coastal city within KwaZulu-Natal, contains 18 major river systems, some of which extend far inland of the city boundary. Over the past 30 years, deteriorating river water quality and more frequent flooding have caused escalating costs to the city, businesses and its citizens.
The protection and management of its river systems is a central pillar in Durban’s climate change action plan, as human health and safety risks are being increasingly linked to poor riverine management.
Partnership
EThekwini Metropolitan Municipality (EMM) has formed a partnership with Agence Française de Développement (AFD) to help with the implementation of its Transformative Riverine Management Programme. AFD is a member of the C40 Cities Finance Facility, and a co-funder of CICLIA (Cities and Climate in sub-Saharan Africa) – a financial facility to provide project preparation funds.
“In less than 18 months, the plans are coming together, and Durban’s innovative solutions may be replicated in cities around the world,” says Zoé Ramondou, project manager: Municipalities and Urban Development, AFD.
Projects falling within the TRMP represent powerful partnerships between EMM, external partners like AFD and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), civil society groups, and communities. The pilot projects embarked upon to date, with support from the C40 Cities Finance Facility and GIZ as implementing agency, include a strong focus on community involvement, capacitybuilding and skills development.
Climate change risks
“Alternating cycles of drought and floods have driven informal settlements into flood plains, resulting in extreme vulnerability and loss of life and property. The projected impacts of climate change on Durban’s water systems include declining water quality, more intense flooding, reduced water availability and food security. When combined with blocked rivers and streams and settlements in vulnerable, flood-prone areas, the impact of a changing climate can be disastrous,” adds Ramondou.
Because rivers are dynamic systems that are constantly responding to human and biophysical impacts, river management
Because rivers are dynamic systems that are constantly responding to human and biophysical impacts, river management needs to be responsive to changes The Umgeni River mouth in Durban
needs to be responsive to changes. Ramondou explains that the vast range of factors influencing the performance and liveability of riverine corridors includes solid waste like littering and dumping, sand mining, the status of riparian vegetation, the attenuation of surface run-off (through natural and artificial wetlands, canalisation or diversion measures), pollution, and discharges from wastewater systems. “This also means that, for any project’s success, it is vital to have the buy-in of all stakeholders, including communities and concerned citizens,” says Ramondou.
“The TRMP combines ecosystem restoration, adaptation to climate change, and the creation of economic opportunities for low-income populations. It encompasses the employment of community cooperatives and the training and employment of local community members to assist with river health maintenance, waste management, monitoring and community awareness. There has also been a focus on building skills and capacity in beneficiary
communities extending beyond riverine management actions. This includes helping people making a living from waste upcycling and recycling while improving the health of their local rivers,” says Ramondou. Insights and learnings from EMM’s riverine management experiences so far are being leveraged to hone its TRMP going forward, with the ultimate goal of transforming some 7 400 km of riverine corridors. Three projects that have delivered valuable information on the establishment, implementation and planned upscaling of transformative riverine management projects are the Sihlanzimvelo Project, the Aller River Pilot Project, and the Green Corridors Green Spaces Project. The Sihlanzimvelo Project is led by EMM’s Roads and Stormwater Maintenance Department. The objective of the project is to remove litter, waste and invasive plant species from stream areas to reduce stormwater blockages and create employment for cooperatives formed by local residents. The community cooperatives employed through the Sihlanzimvelo Project have been given the core skills needed to establish and run a cooperative, remove alien AGENCE FRANÇAISE DE DÉVELOPPEMENT invasive plants, and comply with health and safety regulations. The community assessors play a Agence Française de Développement (AFD) implements France’s policy on international wider role in creating awareness development and solidarity. Through its and behaviour change in the financing of NGOs and the public sector, surrounding communities. This as well as its research and publications, project was started in 2012 and AFD supports and accelerates transitions its implementation is ongoing. towards a fairer, more resilient world. It also The Aller River Pilot Project is led provides training in sustainable development (at AFD Campus) and other awareness-raising activities in France.
Its teams are at work on more than 4 000 projects in the field, in the French overseas departments and territories, in 115 countries and in regions in crisis. AFD strives to protect global public goods – promoting a stable climate, biodiversity and peace, as well as gender equality, education and healthcare. In this way, it contributes to the commitment of France and the French people to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Alternating cycles of drought and floods have driven informal settlements into flood plains, resulting in extreme vulnerability and loss of life and property by the Kloof Conservancy, a communitybased organisation promoting environmental protection awareness. The objective of the pilot project is to restore sections of the Aller River with a focus on water quality improvement and invasive species removal. It has a focus on training and empowering youth representatives through the Eco-Champs programme to undertake education and clean-up campaigns. The project was initiated in 2016 and is ongoing.
The Green Corridors Green Spaces Project is led by the Green Corridors NPC, an EMM-supported special-purpose vehicle, working on community upliftment through the creation of a green spatial economy. The objective of the project is to enhance local quality of life, living environments and sustainable livelihoods. This project was initiated in 2010 and its implementation is subjected to an annual review of its memorandum of agreement with the municipality.
EMM is building a case for upscaling riverine management to encompass all rivers in its jurisdiction. The latest development is a new study – supported by AFD and funded through CICLIA – that will be integrated into the TRMP.
“Durban is a pioneer city in Africa and worldwide when it comes to recognising its climate change vulnerabilities and prioritising solutions at a high level. Now, it is developing innovative riverine management solutions that will be highly replicable and can improve the climate resilience of many other cities and the well-being of communities around the world,” says Ramondou.
