Page 31 - SDG Report

PALMIET CATCHMENT REHABILITATION PROJECT AND BIODIVERSITY STEWARDSHIP PROGRAMME
Like other cities in developing countries, Durban faces the challenge of growing informal settlements due to increasing rural- to-urban migration. In most cases informal settlements are not integrated into city planning and are vulnerable to climate impacts. Moreover, there is a pressing need for research into adaptation and mitigation strategies in informal settlements to achieve climate sensitive development within the city. Furthermore, the loss of natural vegetation, and changes to the hydrology of the catchments through storm-water engineering interventions further exacerbate the impact of extreme rainfall events, resulting in erosion, flooding and sewage discharge. Flooding from the extreme weather events has resulted in infrastructure damage to the surrounding informal settlements. These challenges are expected to be exacerbated by climate change.
Recent flooding has caused fatalities in the affected informal settlement and the frequency of such extreme events is expected to increase due to climate change. Furthermore, in the upper catchment there are concerns with some industries as there are cases of industrial pollution which affects water quality and freshwater biodiversity.
To respond to these challenges, the project focuses on improving community resilience towards climate change impacts in the Quarry Road informal settlement. It focuses on conservation, rehabilitation, and restoration of natural systems within the Palmiet catchment to improve community resilience to climate change impacts. One of its objectives is to develop a model that
could be used to link future engineering infrastructure projects and the rehabilitation and management of water resources. In the process, principles of community-based adaptation to climate change should be applied. A second objective is to restore ecological infrastructure within informal settlements exposed to flooding in order to reduce that risk.
Improvement of resilience to cilmate change impacts in communities
Promotion of commuity-based adaptation
Cleaning of river streams to improve water quality
Restoration of ecological infrastructure for eco- system services provision (clean water, flood attenuation, etc)
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS GOOD PRACTICE 29