Cities and Climate Change Initiative Walvis Bay, Namibia Mapping Of
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
CITIES AND CLIMATE CHANGE INITIATIVE WALVIS BAY, NAMIBIA MAPPING OF WALVIS DATE: 20 May 2010 PREPARED BY : Lima Maartens PREPARED FOR : UN-HABITAT Programme Manager Private Bag 13329 Windhoek Namibia TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 Introduction ...........................................................................................................5 2 City Introduction....................................................................................................6 2.1 Physical Characteristics..................................................................................6 2.2 Historical Development ...................................................................................9 2.3 Population Characteristics ............................................................................11 3 Development Setting...........................................................................................13 3.1 Water Supply ................................................................................................13 3.2 Industry .........................................................................................................15 3.3 Transportation and Telecommunications ......................................................22 3.4 Energy ..........................................................................................................22 4 The Environment Setting....................................................................................25 4.1 Land..............................................................................................................25 5 Climate Change-Related Impacts.......................................................................34 6 Conclusion...........................................................................................................38 7 References...........................................................................................................38 LIST OF TABLES Table 1: A brief history of the town of Walvis Bay ( after Levinson, 1976; Municipality of Walvis Bay )........................................................................................................................10 Table 2: Walvis Bay Urban and Rural Constituency 2001 Census Indicators (NPC, 2003). ...........................................................................................................................................11 Table 3: Summary of the sectors/areas in Walvis Bay that may be affected by various climate change-related events and the potential impacts. .................................................35 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Aerial view of the Walvis Bay area ( Source: Walvis Bay Salt Refiners )................6 Figure 2: Map of Walvis Bay’s biodiversity zones ( Source: LAB, 2008 )...............................7 Figure 3: The lighthouse at the Pelican Point peninsula ( Source: NACOMA, 2008b – Keath Wearne )...............................................................................................................................8 Figure 4: In order to prevent the accumulation of sand and flood water from entering the houses, most houses in Walvis Bay used to be mounted on stilts ( Source: Photo Krause, Walvis Bay )........................................................................................................................14 Figure 5: The container terminal at the Port of Walvis Bay ( Source: NamPort ). ................18 Figure 6: Map indicating the proposed expansion of the current container terminal (indicated in red) at the Port of Walvis Bay ( Source: NamPort ). ........................................19 Figure 7: Aerial photo of the salt pans ( Source: Walvis Bay Salt Refiners ). ......................20 Figure 8: Photomontage, exiting Walvis Bay on the C14 road, of the proposed wind farm with 48 turbines ( Source: Risk-Based Solutions, 2010 ). ....................................................24 Figure 9: Structure Plan 2007 Review: Sub-regional concept ( Source: Walvis Bay Municipality ).......................................................................................................................29 Figure 10: Structure plan of Walvis Bay; areas above the 5m contour line is indicated in red ( Source: J. Korrubel )....................................................................................................33 LIST OF ACRONYMS BCLME Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem CBD Convention on Biological Diversity CCCI Cities and Climate Change Initiative DRC Democratic Republic of Congo ECB Electricity Control Board 3 EPM Environmental Planning and Management IBA Important Bird Area FAO Food and Agricultural Organization GDP Gross Domestic product HAB Harmful Algae Bloom kV Kilovolt LAB Local Action for Biodiversity MET Ministry of Environment and Tourism MFMR Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources MW Megawatt NamPort Namibian Ports Authority NamPower Namibian Power Corporation NamWater Namibian Water Corporation NCCI Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry NLA Namibia Logistics Association NPC National Planning Commission PPA Participatory Poverty Assessment RTG Rubber Tyred Gantries SA South Africa SADC Southern African Development Community SEA Strategic Environmental Assessment SCP Sustainable Cities Programme SP Structure Plan SST Sea Surface Temperature SUD-Net Sustainable Urban Development Network SWA South West Africa TEU Twenty Foot Equivalent Unit TPS Town Planning Scheme UNEP United Nations Environment Programme UN-HABITAT United Nations Human Settlements Programme WBGC Walvis Bay Corridor Group WBPUA Walvis Bay Port Users Association 4 1 Introduction The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) requires that, for the implementation of the Sustainable Urban Development Network (SUD-Net) Cities and Climate Change Initiative (CCCI) in Walvis Bay, through working with the Walvis Bay City Council, the Sustainable Cities Programme (SCP) / Environmental Planning and Management (EPM) approach be followed. The SCP process activities are as follows (UN-HABITAT and UNEP, 1998): Preparation of an Environmental Profile ; Conducting the City Consultation; Establishing and Operationalizing Working Groups; Negotiating/formulating Strategies and Action Plans; and Institutionalizing the EPM Process (cutting across and initiated in parallel to the above-mentioned activities). Key EPM Principles include: cross-sectoral/institutional and system wide coordination; broad-based public/private/popular participation; priority problem-solving implementation focus; building city capacities and partnerships; using demonstration projects and upscale; attitudinal changes through joint actions or interventions; relying on bottom-up/demand led actions; feedback for national-level policy changes; central focus on development/environmental interactions; and mainstreaming environmental issues in urban planning. The focus of this study is to report on the vulnerable areas, environmental hotspots and areas susceptible to the effects of climate change within Walvis Bay. Even though information on the activity sectors (including the environmental setting) is provided, and the generic Environmental Profile table of contents (UN-HABITAT and UNEP, 1998) was considered, the report should not be regarded as an Environmental Profile for the town of Walvis Bay, but rather as a first draft for the preparation of a comprehensive Environmental Profile for the town. 5 2 City Introduction 2.1 Physical Characteristics The town of Walvis Bay is the second largest urban settlement in Namibia and the regional capital of the Erongo Region. The Walvis Bay area is approximately 1,124 km² in size (including ~60 km of coastline) and it is situated along the Atlantic Ocean between the Swakop (north) and Kuiseb Rivers (south). The area also includes the Langstrand Resort, the Dolphin Park Recreation Resort and the N$1,5 billion Afrodite Beach Development currently under construction. Atlantic Ocean Pelican Point Guano Platform Oyster rafts Harbour Pump-house Outer Lagoon Lagoon Walvis Bay Mouth Town Oyster Pump-house Road Farm Main Evaporation Pond 1 Lagoon Paaltjies Road Dunes Salt Pans Evaporation Pond 2 Kuiseb Delta Figure 1: Aerial view of the Walvis Bay area ( Source: Walvis Bay Salt Refiners ). On the eastern side, the Walvis Bay area extends to the Namib Naukluft Park, Namibia’s largest conservation area. The area includes the Walvis Bay Wetland and the Kuiseb River and Delta (Figure 2). 6 Figure 2: Map of Walvis Bay’s biodiversity zones ( Source: LAB, 2008 ). The Walvis Bay Wetland was proclaimed a Ramsar Site, or Wetland of International Importance, in 1995. The Wetland comprises the more than 3,000 year old Walvis Bay Lagoon, and includes the inter-tidal mudflats and the eastern half of Pelican Point. The area is regarded as a biodiversity hotspot due to the following: the rich estuarine fauna; it supports about 129,000 birds and hosts Palaearctic and intra-African migrant birds, as well as six rare bird species; it is the most important wetland bird habitat on the Namib Coast and one of the ten most important wetlands in Africa. Even though the Wetland is considered a priority conservation area by the Namibian Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET), the area is not protected and the re-declaration of the Walvis Bay Nature Reserve has been proposed (NACOMA, 2008a; EcoAfrica Environmental Consultants, 7 2009). Threats to the Wetland (and its inhabitants) include: siltation of the Lagoon (silt from the ocean, wind-blown sand and dust,