Palmiet Catchment Rehabilitation Project Summary.

The Palmiet Catchment in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, is one of the most degraded river systems in the region. The Palmiet Catchment Rehabilitation Project was a pilot project initiated by eThekwini Municipality (Environmental Planning and Climate Protection Department, EPCPD) as part of the larger uMngeni Ecological Infrastructure Partnership (UEIP) to address the poor state of the catchment.

Within this pilot, there was an Infrastructure Investment Programme of South Africa (IIPSA) Ecological Infrastructure (EI) sub-project, funded through the agency of the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA). The project ran as support to eThekwini’s Integrated Development Plan and Transformative River Management Project, as well as the Durban Climate Change Strategy and Implementation Plan.

GroundTruth, together with the Duzi-Umgeni Conservation Trust (DUCT), oversaw the management and implementation of the Palmiet Catchment Rehabilitation Project.

The aim

The primary aim of the Palmiet Catchment Rehabilitation Project was to improve community resilience in the face of climate through the conservation, restoration, and rehabilitation of natural river ecosystems within the Palmiet catchment. Through a multidimensional approach comprising an integration of engineering interventions and finance solutions, as well as mainstreaming biodiversity for water security, we aimed to develop an effective and sustainable catchment management plan.

The framework

The project involved a wide range of community members from and around the Palmiet catchment. It was built around six key components:

1. The core component of the project was community-based river management, focused primarily on capacity building within historically disadvantaged residents in the catchment. The project built capacity among 15 members from the informal settlement communities within the Palmiet catchment. These community members underwent training to become employed as Environmental Champions (Enviro-Champs). They were upskilled with training and courses in water resource management and its programmes, basic communication and questionnaire development skills, basic plumbing skills, training in alien plant removal, river health monitoring, solid waste cleaning and recycling plans, and basic first aid and water safety. The material and delivery of this training programme had to be adapted due to the Covid-19 pandemic and was revolutionised into a highly successful virtual format using WhatsApp.
2. The second component was clearing alien vegetation along the Palmiet River according to a detailed Invasive Alien Plant Clearing Plan. Key manageable sections of the Palmiet River were prioritised, with 40 ha of land cleared and maintained to be free of alien invasives.
3. The third component was the development of specific rehabilitation plans for two areas: the Kingfisher Catchment and the Wyebank Municipal Landfill Site. The aim of these plans was to raise awareness regarding catchment-level issues, encourage protection and rehabilitation of natural areas, improve capacity for controlling stormwater inputs, and address current and historical environmental and social issues.
4. The fourth component was the provision of bursary funding for a Masters research project, supervised by Dr Catherine Sutherland within the School of Built Environment and Development Studies (BEDS) programme at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. The research addressed the ecological dependencies of built infrastructure and explored opportunities and risks of investments to restore and maintain ecological infrastructure.
5. The fifth component was stakeholder engagement and empowerment of vulnerable and indigenous groups. The main channels of stakeholder engagement within the catchment are through the existing Palmiet Community of Innovators forum, Palmiet River Watch Conservancy, and the Palmiet Enviro-Champs. The aim of this component was to engage with communities to foster environmental awareness and river and environmental stewardship through river health awareness and clean–up events, workshops, questionnaires, door-to-door interactions, and creation and dissemination of popular and newspaper articles.
6. The final component of the project was an internal evaluation component, which entailed regular reporting and overall management of the project to ensure that the project achieved its goals.

The 2022 April and May Flood Events

On the evening of the 11th April 2022 eThekwini Municipality experienced very heavy downpours, with the Kloof area at the head of the Palmiet Catchment receiving an unprecedented 450 mm over a few hours. Bridges, roads, and municipal services were left critically damaged. The Palmiet Catchment, particularly the Quarry Road West Informal Settlement, was critically affected. Much of the flood damage was due to blockage of culverts by trees, plant materials, plastic waste, and sediments. Residents across the city had their homes and belongings damaged or lost, while some even lost their lives.

Disaster response during the flood relied on the national Forecast Early Warning System (FEWS). During the April flooding, real time rainfall and stream level information was relayed to residents of the Quarry Road West Informal Settlement via eThekwini and University of KwaZulu-Natal staff. With the help of the Enviro-Champs, residents were effectively evacuated. While over 400 dwellings were lost in the flood, there was only one fatality in the settlement, showcasing the critical positive effect of the Enviro-Champs and related community cohesion in mitigating flood risk.