No plan will hold water without collaboration and implementation. That was the consensus at the biannual #cocreateMYCITY (CCMC) event hosted by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Durban on June 8.
During a day characterized by frank, open and constructive discussion, some of the sharpest minds from South Africa and the Netherlands wrestled with the impact of severe weather events, the reality of climate change and the challenges to provide sustainable and inclusive water and sanitation services, with the aim to present fresh ideas, exchange knowledge and lessons learnt in their quest to identify innovative solutions for water challenges in KwaZulu-Natal.
Lively debate not only revisited the devastating floods of April 2022 which resulted in the loss of hundreds of lives and at least R500-million in damage to key water infrastructure in the South Durban Basin, but also sought solutions for this major industrial hub.
Delegates examined the challenges of futureproofing the water sector through strategic capacity building in light of South Africa’s alarming loss of engineers within the water sector, together with making the circular economy work for water and examining digital solutions such as the use of artificial intelligence and big data.
Deputy Mayor for the eThekwini municipality, Councilor Zandile Myeni, described the city’s collaboration with the Dutch government as inspiring as the Dutch have a proud record of water management.
She noted that water was extremely important for public health and said that, although the eThekwini municipality had made progress in facilitating water access for poor communities, it still faced challenges such as ageing infrastructure and the need for future investment considering growing migration to the city.
She welcomed further collaboration with the Dutch government, pointing out that there were many opportunities to co-create solutions.
Addressing more than 140 delegates from both the public and private sectors, the Ambassador from the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Mr Han Peters, spoke about how his country was experiencing water shortages for the first time in its history due to drought and had much to learn from South Africa which was traditionally a water scarce country.
“I am very impressed by the fact that we have brought together stakeholders in water management from both South Africa and the Netherlands, from the public and private sectors. There has been a lot of enthusiasm and creativity which makes me hopeful for the future,” he said.
Turning to the South Durban Basin, spokesperson for the eThekwini Municipality, Dr Andrew Mather, explained the events of April 2022 when extreme rainfall and the silting of the Shongweni Dam created a surge in the Umlaas River which saw water breech the berms of the canal and flow down the highway into industrial and residential areas, submerging vast areas.
Although this was a once-in-200-year occurrence, delegates agreed that severe climate change was now a reality and that, to prevent further devastation, urgent measures were needed to decrease future flood risks.
Mather said that the municipality was looking at the construction of a new culvert to help divert and control overflows, building new diversion berms and deepening existing ones as well as upstream attenuation which included deepening the Shongweni Dam. It said it was in discussion with key stakeholders.
However, feedback from residents, which included motor manufacturer Toyota South Africa and paper and pulp manufacturer Mondi who were severely impacted at the time, emphasised the need for still greater collaboration and the inclusion of insurers, academics and communities who were victims of the flooding, when considering solutions for this vulnerable industrial hub.
Delegates also called for an early warning system that would warn residents and emergency services of the threat of natural disasters throughout the province.
This discussion culminated in a warning that authorities needed to react quickly in order to “build back better” or face the problem of businesses acting in isolation to protect themselves which would compromise the implementation of a more effective and comprehensive solution.
Tjeerd Driessen from Dutch consulting company, RoyalHaskoningDHV, shared learnings from how the port of Rotterdam, which was particularly flood prone, had dealt with increased risks in an industrial area that contributes 6% of the Dutch GDP.
He illustrated how flooding had impacted the operations of companies and how different stakeholders had collaborated to implement necessary solutions.
Lively discussion during the debate over the circular economy saw delegates discuss current gaps and barriers to accelerating the circular economy with emphasis on recycling, water recovery, desalination the re-use of water and educating water users.
Additional challenges highlighted included the implementation of onerous procurement policies at local government level which prevented swift action to maintain or repair key infrastructure and the problem of budgetary shortfalls and the funding of key water projects.
The #cocreateMYCITY event culminated in an energy packed and interactive Wetskills session which saw young professionals pitch their solutions for water challenges to a jury of experts and the presentation of a prize to the top group of professionals.
These innovative solutions and the inclusion of youth in the water sector provide hope for a more sustainable, inclusive and secure water future for South Africa, and specifically the City of eThekwini.
Image: Pictured at the #cocreateMYCITY Durban conference held at the Elangeni Hotel on Thursday 8th June 2023 are: Eric Apelgren, Head of International Relations at eThekwini, Nthabiseng Fundakubi, Deputy Director General of the National Department of Water and Sanitation with The Kingdom of the Netherlands Ambassador Han Peters and Deputy Mayor Zandile Myeni who opened the conference.