Page 40 - UGU Dstrct Mun IDP Report '21-22

3.2 Environmental Management Analysis
Integrated Environmental Management (IEM) in the form of EIA compliance is a major milestone being achieved under the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) across various sectors, both public and private. In collaboration with Department of Economic Development Tourism and Environmental Affairs and the local municipalities, the district had embarked on both statutory and non-statutory proactive integrated environmental planning through the development of Environmental Management Framework, Integrated Waste Management Plan, Air Quality Management Plan, Air Quality Management by-laws, etc. Other pockets of excellence include intergovernmental and inter-sectoral forums and social responsibility projects.
However, law enforcement on formal mining activities remains a major area of concern. Major gaps were identified when the five-year IDP was developed in 2017 with respect to Coastal Management programme as required by the Integrated Coastal Management Act of 2009, Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Strategy, Invasive Alien Species Management Plan, Health, and Hygiene Education Strategy. Some progress has been made to date the Coastal Management Programme and Climate Change Vulnerability Strategy are in place (See Chapter 8 for all the strategies and plans in place). The municipality will continue to prioritise the development of the remaining strategies and plans.
3.2.1 Key Hydrological Features
The National Water Act (1998) recognises that water is a scarce resource and that there is a need for the integrated management of all aspects of water resources. The SDF promotes the concept of catchment management as a means of addressing biodiversity management, resource management and settlement planning. Catchment management therefore proposes that catchment systems be understood as a primary informant in planning processes for the purpose of improving and integrating the management of land, water and related natural resources, in order to achieve more sustainable use of available resources.
A critical factor here will be understanding the capacity of catchment systems to supply fresh water and to sustain land uses and settlement activity within the catchment area, even where land use and settlement growth is sensibly planned and effectively managed. Applying a catchment management approach means recognising that the land has limits in terms of its carrying capacity. It means aligning development to the identified limits to the resources available using catchments as a tool for describing a specific resource unit which is appropriate for spatial planning at a regional scale. A catchment management approach must align with and respond to the establishment of the Mzumvubu to Kieskamma Catchment Management Agencies (CMA) to be established in terms of the National Water Act of 1998 and the latest National Water Resources Strategy.
The banks of these rivers contain high value biodiversity such as natural vegetation and ecosystems. The district is also characterised by a number of wetlands which are connected to the major catchment areas such as the rivers and the ocean. According to the Ugu Biodiversity Sector Plan (2014) the sub-quaternary catchments for the Mzimkhulu, Mtamvuna and portions of the Mtwalume catchment have been identified as National Freshwater Ecosystem Priority Areas (NFEPA) which are a priority for meeting national aquatic conservation targets.
Furthermore, it is also important to note that these two major perennial rivers are identified as being in a good condition (A/B class) despite the current levels of modification in the district (Ugu Biodversity Sector Plan). In the context of Umuziwabantu, the Vungu River is identified as being moderately affected by modification (C-class) due to the nature of a coastal area, there are a large number of catchments within the UDM, ranging from small, localised catchments spanning a few square kilometres to the Mzimkhulu and Umkomaas Catchments stretching back to their headwaters in the Drakensberg Mountains. There is a common theme throughout the UDM in that there are no major dams or impoundments, only several small local supply dams.
The majority of the area is characterised as moderately erodible, with a smaller portion characterised as highly erodible (Rooseboom, 1992). This was thought to be as a result of the moderate to high rainfall erosivity, based on the EI30 (maximum rainfall intensity values for a 30-minute period) values for the area (Rooseboom, 1992). This subsection provides a brief summary of the remaining significant catchments that are smaller than the four main catchments listed about. These smaller significant catchments include the following:
u u u u
Mbizana River – Quaternary T40F.
Ifafa River – Quaternary U80G.
Umzumbe River – Quaternary U80B and U80C. Mpambanyoni River – Quaternary U80J and U80K.
u Umzinto River – Quaternary U80H.
u Vungu River – Quaternary T40G.
u Mtwalume River – Quaternary U80E and U80F.
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UGU DISCTRICT MUNICIPALITY