Exploring the potential contribution of Environmental Impact Assessments for water resilience: a case study of in-situ upgrading of the Monwabisi Park informal settlement, Cape Town, South Africa

Bieding, Natasha

Exploring the potential contribution of Environmental Impact Assessments for water resilience: a case study of in-situ upgrading of the Monwabisi Park informal settlement, Cape Town, South Africa

Master Thesis

2022

Abstract

Internationally, water resource management is complicated by a myriad of factors. Climate change is just one of such factors that has globally complicated water resource management due to erratic weather patterns, including extreme and prolonged drought. However, there also exist other factors such as rapid urbanisation, migration and inadequate infrastructure which have contributed towards water resource management being complicated. Water resource management therefore spans a wide scope ranging from managing the direct impacts of climate change on water availability to ensuring that water remains accessible to all. From a national perspective, water access is particularly a topical issue in South Africa, due to its ever-expanding cities and informal settlements. Cape Town is no different and in the same way, water access is directly affected by a myriad of factors including natural and social. Natural factors include drought, while social factors include rapid urban expansion, wastage and increasing demand by competing user groups. However, for informal settlements where limited access to water and inadequate socio-economic living conditions are the norm, water access remains a problem. The pre-existing conditions in this regard heightens informal settlements' challenge for access to water. Learning from the severe drought of 2015 to 2018 one of the impacts of climate change in the context of this research, the City of Cape Town introduced long-term policy interventions to ensure water access and promote water resilience by developing both the Cape Town Resilience Strategy and Water Strategy. Despite this progress at a strategic level, guidance on tools for environmental governance of project and local level water resilience remains lacking. This research uses a case study approach to explore Environmental Impact Assessments' potential contribution for water resilience in informal settlements. Water resilience in the context of this research implies that actions are implemented so that water remains accessible for informal settlements while its more vulnerable residents are empowered, in spite of the threat and impacts of future drought scenarios. The Environmental Impact Assessment is therefore explored as a ‘vehicle' or means through which such actions could be implemented and in so doing, contribute towards water resilience in the real world context. An Environmental Impact Assessment application of the in-situ upgrade of the Monwabisi Park Informal Settlement in Cape Town, South Africa, is analysed based on three themes of how contributions towards water resilience relevant to informal urban settings could be implemented, namely: (1) addressing the relationship between the ecological and social elements of the environment, (2) engaging with aspects of future threats of drought and the need to plan ahead and (3) supporting the Cape Town Resilience Strategy and Water Strategy with implementation to further achieve water resilience. The shortcomings of the case study revealed that the Environmental Impact Assessment addressed pragmatic issues relating to the decision-making attributes of the tool rather than substantive water resilience matters. Social and ecological elements were not treated as one system and planning ahead failed to incorporate relevant water resilience imperatives, even though the opportunities to do so exists through need and desirability criteria, which requires the tool to use forward planning policy and frameworks to inform development projects. Despite these two shortcomings, EIAs hold potential to align with and strengthen environmental governance plans, policies or programmes. This was found to be possible through mandated procedures and normative outcomes such as public participation, environmental education and community involvement, conserving and diversifying sources of water and environmental monitoring. These synergies between Environmental Impact Assessment and the Cape Town Resilience Strategy and Water Strategy provide entry points for Environmental Impact Assessments to contribute towards water resilience. However, the potential contribution of Environmental Impact Assessments to water resilience in informal settlements remains highly contingent on addressing systemic vulnerabilities exhibited in the social-ecological context and adequate preparation for future shocks and stressors.

Keywords

Environmental and Geographical Sciences

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