UTHUKELA DISTRICT MUNICIPALITY Environmental Management Framework Report Status Quo Report: Rivers & Wetlands

1. Administrative boundaries.

The uThukela District Municipality (UTDM) (DC23) is one of 10 district municipalities located within the western (central) districts of KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa. The UTDM incorporates a district management area (DC23) that collectively covers an area of approximately 11500 km2. It is made up of five local municipalities, namely Emnambithi/Ladysmith (KZN232) (2,965.92 km 2), Indaka (KZN233) (991.71 km 2), Umtshezi (KZN234) (2130.85km 2), Okhahlamba (KZN235) (3540.63 km 2), and Imbabazane (KZN236) (827.74 km 2) Municipalities.

2. Legislation governing the management, development and accountability pertaining to surface water resources within the UTDM.

The various sections of the various Acts, laws and regulations that are relevant to aspects pertaining to the conservation, development and management of the surface water resources throughout the UTDM are presented in the sections below. The legislative frameworks were based on DWA (2000), various Local Municipality IDPs (2011/2012), Mosai (2004) and Marais (2011).

2.1. The Constitution Act 108 of 1996

The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa has enshrined within it the right of an environment that is not harmful to the well being of its citizens and the right to a protected environment. In order to uphold this right for the present and future generations (as advocated by the principles of Sustainable Development), the planning and implementation processes of development projects must be oriented to accommodate the principles of sustainable development.

2.2. The National Environmental Management Act 107 of 1998 (NEMA)

The National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) is central to South African environmental laws as it gives effect to the environmental right within the Constitution and acts as a hub for all other environmental legislation. The purpose of the NEMA is to provide 1

for co-operative, environmental governance on matters affecting the environment by establishing principles for decision-making and institutions that will promote co-operative governance and procedures for co-ordinating environmental functions.

Three significant concepts enshrined in NEMA and which are relevant to the environmental management requirements of the various local municipalities are the concept of Sustainable Development which is summarily defined as the integration of social, economic and environmental factors in decision-making so that development serves present and future generations ; the Polluter-pays principle which provides that the costs of remedying pollution, environmental degradation, and consequent adverse health effects and of preventing, controlling or minimizing further pollution, environmental damage or adverse health effects must be paid for by those responsible for causing such impacts on the environment; and Integrated Environmental Management (IEM) which promotes essentially Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) processes including risks averts, and due diligence in project planning and implementation.

By implication, the local municipalities are therefore required by to monitor the utilization of all environmental resources and the impacts that such resource use pose to the environment. The municipality is further required to demonstrate the application of the principles of sustainable development through:

• The preparation of relevant management tools, • The application of such tools in all of its programme and projects planning processes, • The monitoring of environmental performance within the municipality, and • The continuous improvement of the management efficiency of the tools and related resources an acceptable monitoring and evaluation programme.

For the local municipalities, it is essential to be aware that the National Environmental Management Act (Act 107 of 1998) has in terms Government Gazette No. 33306 established regulations and guidelines regarding the conduct of EIA processes under sections 24(5), 24(M) and 44 of the Act. The regulations cover two primary aspects: firstly, they describe and classify activities, which potentially have a deleterious effect on the environment. Secondly, they identify specific environments which are considered to be particularly sensitive and therefore require protection from undue development pressures.

Thus for the local municipalities, cognizance needs to be taken of these EIA guidelines during the planning and implementation of all infrastructural and other development projects in the municipality. Of major significance for the municipality is the implementation of its IDP (Integrated Development Plan) projects some of which may be triggers of the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations Listings 1, 2, or 3 (refer to Annexure1). NEMA requires that for each triggered activity the municipality or developers within the municipality need to obtain authorization from the KZN Department of Agriculture, Environmental Affairs and Rural Development prior to implementation of the listed activity.

It is important to be aware that prior to granting approvals for development activities by the municipality, the regulations governing development activities as contained in NEMA must be consulted by the relevant authorizing officials.

2.3. Environment Conservation Act (Act 73 of 1989)

The sections from the Environment Conservation Act (ECA) that are relevant to utilisation of the water resources within the UDM include, but are not limited, to the following: • Sections 19, 19A, and 24A. Prohibition of littering. • Sections 20 and 24 Control of waste disposal sites. • Sections 23 and 27. Declaration of Limited Development Areas. • Sections 31 and 31A. Power of Government to order cessation of harmful activity.

2.4. National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act (Act 10 of 2004)

The National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act (NEMBA) was enacted in order to meet South Africa’s obligations in terms of the 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity. NEMBA represents a shift in the approach to species protection, acknowledging that in order to protect a particular species, such as Black Rhino, its habitat and the ecosystem of which it is a part must also be protected. The key elements of NEMA include:

• Chapter 4 covers the protection of ecosystems, the protection of species, gives effect to South Africa’s obligations in terms of CITES, and ensures that biodiversity is utilised in a sustainable way. • Chapter 52 empowers the Minister of Environmental Affairs to publish a list of ecosystems that are threatened and in need of protection. The draft national list of Threatened Ecosystems was published in GNR 1477 (of 2009). • Section 53 empowers the Minister of Environmental Affairs to identify any process or activity in a listed ecosystem as a .threatening activity. and require prior Environmental Authorisation. • Section 56 empowers the Minister of Environmental Affairs to publish a list species which are considered to be critically endangered, endangered, vulnerable, or need of protection. • Chapter 5 regulates the control of alien species and eradication of listed invasive species. The draft list of alien and invasive species was published in GNR 1146 and GNR 1147 (of 2007).

2.5. National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act (Act 57 of 2003)

The National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act (PAA) was enacted to provide for declaration and management of protected areas in South Africa. The PAA should be read in conjunction with the principles set out in NEMA and Section 5 and 6 of NEMBA. The PAA represents a shift in the approach to conservation from the historical .protectionist approach (i.e. exclusion of local communities) to allowing controlled access to resources and participation in the management of protected areas.

2.6. National Environmental Management: Waste Act (Act 59 of 2008) (NEMWA)

The National Environmental Management: Waste Act (NEMWA) was enacted to protect health and the environment by providing for:

• Institutional arrangements and planning matters. • Reasonable measures for the prevention of pollution and ecological degradation and for securing ecologically sustainable development. • National norms and standards for regulating the management of waste by all spheres of government. • Specific waste management measures. • Licensing and control of waste management activities. • Remediation of contaminated land. • National waste information system. • Compliance and enforcement. • Chapter 5 of NEMWA covers the licensing of waste management activities. The list of activities requiring a Waste Management Licence is published in: • GNR 718 (2009). A Basic Assessment process in accordance with EIA regulations (i.e. GNR 543 of 2010) is required for activities listed in this notice. • GNR 719 (2009). An Environmental Scoping and Environmental Impact Reporting process in accordance with EIA regulations (i.e. GNR 543 of 2010) is required for activities listed in this notice.

2.7. National Water Act (Act 36 0f 1998)

The National Water Act (NWA) is the main South African statute regulating fresh water use and pollution. The NWA is administered by the Department of Water Affairs (DWA) and regulates the use, flow, and control of all water in the country.

• Chapter 2 provides for the protection of water resources through the classification of water resources, determination of reserves, prevention, and remediation of pollution, and control of emergency incidents.

• Chapter 4 defines the general principles and conditions relating to the use of water. This includes both general authorisation and water use licences.

3. Environmental Profile & Landscape features.

The UTDM incorporates a World Heritage Site, namely the uKhahlamba National Park (Natal Drakensberg National Park) that is located within the south-western areas. This proclaimed region includes wetland areas of Ramsar Conservation status, and falls within a region identified as an Important Birding Area (IBA) and is a wetland complex that is considered to be of international importance. It also forms part of the Maloti-Drakensberg Transfrontier Conservation and Development Area – a cross-border conservation initiative between Lesotho and South Africa that incorporates 8113 km 2, of which 64% and 36% lies within Lesotho and South Africa, respectively. This area includes the high peaks of the greater Drakensberg, which, together with high-altitude streams, oxbow lakes and wetlands, is regarded as being extremely important in terms of biodiversity conservation and as an important watershed, which includes the source if the Tugela River- the main watercourse within the UTDM. This region is regarded as the most important catchment area for Lesotho and South Africa as it forms the basis of the Lesotho Highlands Water Scheme, which supplies water to much of Gauteng and Freestate Provinces.

The topography of the UTDM flattens to undulating hills within its central and eastern areas, which incorporate mature, meandering rivers and wetland units dominated by channelled valley-bottom and, to a lesser extent, floodplain wetlands.

3.1. Catchment characteristics of the UDM.

The UTDM falls within the Tugela (V) Primary Catchment, which is a catchment that falls almost exclusively within KwaZulu-Natal Province. It lies within the Thukela Water Management Area (WMA no 7), and is governed by the Thukela Catchment Management Agency. The Upper Thukela catchment area is by far the most strategically important catchment area within the UTDM as it is the source of the water for the Thukela-Vaal Transfer Scheme, which transfers water to the Vaal River system to augment the supply to Gauteng and Freestate Provinces. The transfer water represents up to 30% of the total volume of surface water for these areas (DWA, 2004).

The diversity of aquatic and wetland habitat units supports a great diversity of faunal and floral species. This is due to the area incorporating both subtropical and temperate features, which are governed by the dramatic changes in topographical features – from the high-lying mountainous areas in the south-west and south of the Drakensberg Range, to flat areas in the northern and eastern coastal areas. This makes the UTDM rather unique, with an aesthetic appeal that makes it a sought after tourist destination.

3.2. Aquatic ecoregions of the UTDM.

The UTDM area includes a wide diversity of aquatic and wetland habitat units, and includes various aquatic ecoregions, including the Highveld ecoregion in the north-western areas, Eastern Escarpment Mountains within the higher-lying mountainous areas along the western boundary, South Eastern Uplands within a small area at the southern boundary, the North Eastern Uplands throughout the greater central regions (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Aquatic ecoregions of the UTDM.

3.3. Water supply and recharge values of the UTDM.

The major watercourse of the UTDM is the Tugela (uThukela or Thukela) River, which rises within the uplands of the Drakensberg and drains northwards and then eastwards through toward the Indian Ocean on the east coast. Other prominent rivers that occur within the UTDM include the Klip River, Boesmans River and the Sundays River. Two major impoundments occur along the Thukela River within the western central areas, namely Woodstock Dam and Spioenkop Dam. Another important dam, namely Wagendrift Dam, occurs along the Boesmans River within the southern area of the UTDM. The UTDM is rich in wetland habitat, with the catchment area being regarded as a region with a high water supply. Just the UKhahlamba National Park area is reported to have a water yield of approximately 7000 m3/ha/year . The park area has a MAR of approximately 1722 x 10 6 m3/year (Bainbridge, 1982).

Figure 2: Recharge and water supply values of the wetland units (left) and mean annual runoff (MAR) (right) of the UTDM.

Figure 2 shows how the wetland areas associated with the UTDM region shows a strong water supply gradient from west to east. The higher-lying western areas associated with the Drakensberg Range includes wetland hillslope seep zones with a relatively high water supply. This decreases as the gradient flattens toward the eastern areas. The mean annual

runoff of the UTDM is greatest within the northern and south-western areas. The gradient of mean annual runoff amount also decreases along a gradient from west to east. This is also due to the general gradient of the region flattening. Wetland areas are shown to increase in magnitude and density within the areas of flatter topography (central and southern areas).

3.4. General characteristics and PES of the major rivers and wetlands throughout the UTDM.

3.4.1. Emnambithi/Ladysmith (KZN232).

Many smaller, non-perennial rivers and their tributaries of the Emnambithi Local Municipality area generally have their source within the higher-lying mountainous areas along its eastern side and drain in an easterly and southerly direction toward the Thukela River that runs along the southern border. The central area drains from west to east through the Ngogo River and its tributaries, which flows southwards to confluence with the Sand River, which drains the south western areas. The confluence of these two watercourses forms the Klip River, which drains eastward to confluence with the Thukela River. The northern areas are also drained in an easterly direction mainly by the Dwars River, and the larger, Sundays River.

Wetlands throughout the Emnambithi Local Municipality are largely dominated by naturally- occurring channelled valley-bottom wetlands associated with watercourses, with larger wetland units being associated with the Sundays River and at the confluence of the Dwars and Sundays Rivers. Further prominent wetlands occur along the Klip River as well as at the confluence between the Klip River and Braamhoekspruit, and further along the Klip River and Sand River. Relatively fewer isolated wetland habitat units occur in the form of hillslopes (seeps) and unchannelled valley-bottom wetlands. Figure 3 shows the Present Ecological State (PES) of the major rivers and wetland systems throughout the Emnambithi Local Municipality area. The vast majority of the wetland units are regarded as being in a natural or near-natural state, with few artificial impoundments (shown in red). The first and second order rivers throughout the Emnambithi Local Municipality are generally within an A or B category (natural to Largely natural), with the major rivers (e.g. Thukela River) being shown as a C category (Moderately modified). This is due to a larger catchment area that is associated with towns and rural settlements.

Figure 3: The PES of the major rivers systems and the major wetland areas associated with the Emnambithi Local Municipality area.

3.4.2. Indaka (KZN233).

The Indaka Local Municipal area incorporates the low-lying eastern regions of the UTDM, which has a relatively flatter topography. The area is dominated by rolling hills. The area is drained through the centrally-flowing Sundays River and its tributaries (the main one being the Wasbank River), which is the main watercourse of the region. The Sundays River drains in a south-easterly direction to confluence with the Thukela River.

Wetlands throughout the Indaka Local Municipality are also largely dominated by naturally- occurring channelled valley-bottom wetlands associated with watercourses, with larger wetland units being associated with the Sundays River and at the confluence of the Wasbank and Sundays Rivers. Further prominent wetlands occur along streams within the western areas. Figure 4 shows the Present Ecological State (PES) of the major rivers and wetland systems throughout the Indaka Local Municipality area. The vast majority of the 9

wetland units are regarded as being in a natural or near-natural state, with few artificial impoundments (shown in red) occurring within the western boundary areas. The first and second order rivers throughout the Indaka Local Municipality are generally within an A or B category (natural to Largely natural), with the major rivers (e.g. Sundays and Wasbank Rivers) being shown as a C category (Moderately modified). This is due to a larger catchment area that is associated with towns and rural settlements.

Figure 4: The PES of the major rivers systems and the major wetland areas associated with the Indaka Local Municipality area.

3.3.3. Umtshezi (KZN234).

Steep topographical areas of the UKhahlamba Drakensberg National Park are included within the southern and south-eastern boundaries of the Umtshezi Local Municipal area. Two main watercourses drain the region in a west-easterly direction. These are the Bloukrans River, which drains the northern areas, and the Boesmans River (together with its

tributaries of the Klein Boesmans, Rensburgspruit, and the Umngwenya Rivers). Both of these main watercourses eventually confluence with the Sundays River.

Figure 5: The PES of the major rivers systems and the major wetland areas associated with the Umtshezi Local Municipality area.

Wetlands throughout the Umtshezi Local Municipality are also largely dominated by naturally-occurring channelled valley-bottom wetlands and hillslope seeps associated with watercourses and the foothills of the steeper areas of the southern and western regions, with larger wetland units being associated with the Boesmans River within the western to central areas. Figure 5 shows the Present Ecological State (PES) of the major rivers and wetland systems throughout the Indaka Local Municipality area. The vast majority of the wetland units are regarded as being in a natural or near-natural state, with few artificial impoundments (shown in red) occurring within the western boundary areas. The largest artificial impoundment is the Wagendrift Dam. The first and second order rivers throughout the Umtshezi Local Municipality are generally within an A or B category (natural to Largely natural), with the major rivers (e.g. Boesmans River downstream of Wagendrift Dam and the 11

Rensburgspruit) being shown as a E/F (Critically modified) and C category (Moderately modified), respectively. This is due to these rivers being associated with the larger urban (residential and commercial) areas of Weenen and Estcourt.

3.4.4. Okhahlamba (KZN235).

Major watercourses draining the Okhahlamba Local Municipality include the Sandspruit in the north draining into the Klip River. The Mweni River drains the central areas in a west- east direction to eventually confluence with the Thukela River in the east. The southern areas are drained mostly by the Lindequespruit and Sterkspruit, which both confluence to form the Little Thukela River, which drains eastwards to join the Thukela River. This region incorporates the steeper topographical areas of the Drakensberg slopes. Steep mountain streams in the west means that wetland areas are rare. Spioenkop Dam represents a prominent impoundment, which occurs along the Thukela River.

Figure 6: The PES of the major rivers systems and the major wetland areas associated with the Okhahlamba Local Municipality area. 12

Wetlands throughout the Okhahlamba Local Municipality are also largely dominated by naturally-occurring channelled valley-bottom wetlands and hillslope seeps associated with watercourses and the foothills of the steeper areas of the southern and western regions, with larger wetland units being associated with the Mweni River (together with some artificial impoundments) within the western central areas. Figure 6 shows the Present Ecological State (PES) of the major rivers and wetland systems throughout the region. The vast majority of the wetland units are regarded as being in a natural or near-natural state, but a major artificial impoundment (shown in red) does occur along the Thukela River, namely Spioenkop Dam. Natural to Near-natural channelled and unchannelled valley-bottom wetlands dominate the southern eastern areas, which are associated with the Lindequespruit, Sterkspruit, Kaalspruit and Little Tugela River. The first and second order rivers throughout the Okhahlamba Local Municipality are generally within an A or B category (natural to Largely natural), but larger rivers do suffer ecological degradation. The Thukela River suffers a Moderately modified overall ecological integrity near the town of Bergville.

3.4.5. Imbabazane (KZN236).

The Little Tugela River drains the central to north-western areas of the Imbabazane Local Municipality area, whilst the Kaalspruit, Bloukrans and Klein Boesmans Rivers drain the central west to southern areas. The Boesmans River drains the southern areas. All of these watercourses drain toward the Thukela River located to the north.

A large wetland complex of mostly unchannelled valley-bottom wetland units forms the origins of the Klein Boesmans River within the central regions. Large wetland areas are also located to the north, giving rise to the Bloukrans River. The southern areas of the Imbabazane Local Municipality incorporates the valley-bottom and floodplain wetlands of the Boesmans River. The vast majority of these wetland units are shown to be in a natural of near-natural state (Figure 7).

Figure 7: The PES of the major rivers systems and the major wetland areas associated with the Imbabazane Local Municipality area.

4. Factors driving the ecological integrity of rivers and wetlands within the UTDM.

4.1. Socio-economic factors & associated pressures on aquatic resources.

The priority of the UTDM seems to lie in poverty alleviation (general job creation, government-funded projects such as agricultural sector development, etc), service delivery (provision of piped water, sanitation and refuse/waste management), and provision of electricity, basic education and provision of formal housing developments. The integration of

environmental conservation and management therefore remains a challenge for the region to be integrated into sustainable development – especially within an impoverished region within the areas that fall outside of formally conserved areas. Dependence on the natural resources and poorly-managed intensive grazing, especially within rural areas of higher population densities, creates serious conservational concerns. Erosion management is one of the largest threats to ecological sustainability throughout the UTDM. This is a combination of poor land use management that is coupled to highly dispersive soils on steep gradients. The implementation of plans pertaining to the environmental management sector is still a major challenge to most of the municipalities because of the budget constraints (Emnambithi IDP, 2011/2012).

It is reported that within the Emnambithi/Ladysmith Municipality, the socio-economic functionality is characterised by high debt rate owed individuals, high levels of unemployment, spatially unsuitably distributed pockets of areas that are slightly receiving basic services, high rate of crime, deteriorating health standards, and a gradually increasing number of young graduates without jobs. Addressing the backlogs of service delivery throughout the region, especially within the rural sector is also cited as a challenge to socio- economic development (Emnambithi IDP, 2011/2012). This is a function that rings true throughout the UTDM region. Positively, there is a drive to provide FBS (free basic services) to identified households in an effort to improve living standards.

A Local Economic Development (LED) plan has been implemented within the Emnambithi LM to aid in developing the agricultural, tourism and development sectors. This was adopted and was implemented in 2004. It has, however, been identified that an improvement in the implementation of the various sectors of the LED is required (Emnambithi IDP, 2011/2012).

The Census of 2001 indicated that approximately 44% of the population fall within the age brackets to be economically active. Of the 44%, 46% reportedly earned less than R800 per month. These figures are regarded as being outdated, but can be seen as an indication of the socio-economic status of the people of the UTDM. More recent population statistics indicate that the unemployment rate within the UTDM is 68.56%, with 75% of the population living within the rural areas. These figures point toward a population that would still have a large dependency on natural resources. The natural resources most profoundly impacted are surface waters (for consumption, basic domestic use (washing, bathing, etc.), irrigation of subsistence crops, watering of subsistence livestock herds, etc.). Further to this, watercourses are also utilised for waste disposal (solid wastes, urban and domestic refuse) as well as water-borne waste disposal (sewerage and industrial effluents). As the rural areas are transformed to a more urban setting, these impacts are exacerbated by the increase in population densities surrounding the water resources. Basic service delivery is very often inadequately provided (which is the case for most of the more populated areas within the UTDM) and therefore dependency on the water resources grows together with the impacts associated with high population densities. This is mostly through sewerage contamination of the watercourses. The WSDP (2006) for the UTDM indicates that a large 15

percentage of the population do not have access to water-borne sanitation, which is further reiterated by recent statistics, indicating that only 63.5% of the population has access to adequate sanitation. This lack of formal sanitation leads to gross contamination of the surface water resources.

Coupled to the direct dependency on the surface waters as a resource, the catchment areas also suffer impacts through vegetation clearing for subsistence agriculture, grazing of livestock and clearing of areas to make provision of housing. These are impacts within the catchment areas that also have profound impacts on the surface waters as a resource as well as the ecological integrity of the surface waters as a habitat unit. The locality of the watercourses within the topographical profiles (the bottom of valleys, etc.) usually means that the watercourses receive the runoff from the entire catchment. The overall ecological health of an aquatic or wetland system can therefore be a reflection of the overall health of the catchment area.

The Uthukela District Municipality faces increasing levels of disaster risk. The WSDP (2006) indicates that the UTDM has no disaster management plan in place, which exacerbates the overall risk of widespread contamination of the surface water resources in the event of a disaster. The region is exposed to a wide range of natural hazards, including severe storms and flood events that can trigger widespread hardship and devastation. This could lead to flooding of stormwater management systems, overflowing of sewerage disposal systems and flooding of waste disposal systems (WSDP, 2006). Flooding and overtopping of these mechanisms will lead to dangerous effluents and leachates entering the aquatic and wetland habitats through stormwater runoff.

4.2. Levels of crime.

The Uthukela District Municipality incorporates areas with strong potential for tourism and is regarded as one of the main tourism nodes within South Africa. Crime is well known as a deterrent to investor confidence and tourism. Therefore, in order for the District to enhance its status, thereby achieving its economic growth through tourism, the District must address the negative perception associated with it being an unsafe destination due to high levels of crime. The promotion of safety and security translates to attraction of investments and thus poverty alleviation through job creation.

4.3. Agriculture.

Formal agriculture is mostly concentrated within Emnambithi, Umtshezi and Ukhahlamba Local Municipal areas, with the greatest concentration being located within the Thukela River valley, and the valleys of other major rivers where there is a reliable source of water. The local municipal areas of Imbabazane and Indaka are mostly Ngonyama Trust land, where

subsistence farming dominates agronomy. Livestock grazing within these communal areas is commonplace. Inadequate veld management, however, within these areas means that erosion is a perpetual ecological impact, with the formation of deep gulleys being readily observed throughout the region.

4.4. Performance of Wastewater Treatment Works & Waste management.

There are seven major wastewater treatment works within the UTDM, namely at Colenso, Ladysmith, Ezakheni, Ekuvukeni, Estcourt, Bergville and Winterton. All of these effluents (industrial effluents) reportedly fall within the national guideline values for wastewater effluent (WSDP, 2006). These seven WWTW’s process both industrial and domestic sewerage. It is reported that no industry discharges wastewater directly into a river system. All industrial wastewater passes through the Ladysmith, Ezakheni or Estcourt WWTW and all effluent discharged into the Klip, Tugela, Bushmans, Sandspruit and Little Tugela Rivers meet the industry standards, with the discharge being tested for quality standards every six months (WSDP, 2006).

Over-capacitated and failing infrastructure periodically leads to direct contamination of surface water resources by untreated sewerage. This is a perpetual problem. Augmentation of water borne sewerage transport systems is difficult due to the constant need to service and maintain existing aging infrastructure and therefore there is an inevitable backlog for provision of adequate sanitation within many areas. It is reported that 63.5% of the population of the UTDM has access to adequate sanitation. What is also of concern is that the UTDM does not have a disaster management contingency plan in place (WSDP, 2006). This means that largescale infrastructure failure (such as would happen during floods or largescale interruptions of power supply) would have disastrous ecological consequences.

4.5. Alien vegetation within the catchment.

The impacts of invasive alien species are a major problem in the District. They are causing considerable environmental, economic (especially tourism industries) and social impacts. Some of the environmental challenges caused by the invasive alien plants at Uthukela District include:

• Impacts food security because they compete with crops • They decreases grazing capacity • Livestock poisoning: e.g. lantana • Alien plants increases intensity of fires • Aggravation of soil erosion.

Some works are taking place regarding alien plant control in the District for example programmes by DAEA and Ezemvelo.

5. Ecological and water quality monitoring of the major rivers in the UTDM.

The Department of Water Affairs is regarded as the custodians of the surface water resources throughout South Africa and is therefore mandated to monitor overall ecosystem health on a regular basis as part of a surface water management strategy. The National River Health Programme (NRHP), which forms part of the National Aquatic Ecosystem Health Monitoring Programme (NAEHMP), has fixed monitoring points strategically located along major watercourses that are surveys routinely for both habitat and overall ecological integrity and functionality. Monitoring throughout the UTDM is relatively comprehensive and monitoring points are routinely surveyed, but augmentation of the monitoring to encompass a greater number of rivers as well as a greater number of sites per major river would allow for a more complete dataset. There are 28 RHP monitoring sites within or associated with the Water Management Area 7. These are located along the Thukela, Boesmans, Buffalo, Slang and Mooi Rivers. Eleven of these sites fall within the UTDM (Figure 8). The Thukela River is by far the most comprehensively surveyed.

Figure 8: National River Health Programme monitoring sites associated with the UTDM.

The recently-released Atlas of National Freshwater Ecosystem Priority Areas (Nel, et al., 2011) shows that the UTDM incorporates many areas relevant to freshwater ecosystem conservation and conservation priorities. These aspects include wetland clusters, refuge or critically endangered and endangered, as well as otherwise threatened, fish species within the various river systems and their management areas throughout the UTDM. Areas 19

considered important to fish conservation throughout the UTDM are presented in Figure 9. From this is can be seen that there are significant areas that are considered important to fish conservation, which incorporate the majority of the headwater streams as well as major watercourses within the area.

Figure 9: Water management areas and rivers considered important to fish conservation throughout the UTDM.

Water quality monitoring is also undertaken by DWA on a routine basis, with the last major review of the Thukela WMA being in 2008. This monitoring was undertaken along the Little Tugela, Klip, Thukela and Boesmans Rivers, where a general deterioration in electro-

conductivity levels was evident at all sites. The values did still, however, remain within acceptable limits. This is an indication of the total amount of salts contained within the water. Phosphate levels were shown to be unacceptable at all sites. Possible sources of phosphates within the surface waters includes soaps and detergents (such as would contaminate the water from the traditional use of rivers for washing clothes), domestic effluents and fertilisers. Another water quality constituent that showed a deteriorating trend is the ammonia levels. Sources of ammonia include fertiliser runoff and organic pollution (treated as well as untreated sewerage). Other water quality parameters tested for (pH, chlorides and sulphates) showed that levels remained within acceptable limits (DWA 2008).

The upper catchments of most of the rivers within the UTDM are located within Ukhahlamba World Heritage Site and are therefore incorporated within formally protected areas and have a high conservation status. This has largely allowed for the major rivers to have retained overall ecological integrity and functionality. A major ecological driving force of the larger rivers outside of the conserved areas is erosion within the catchment areas – especially within the catchments that support tribal lands utilised for livestock grazing and subsistence agriculture. Soil erosion within these areas is of major significance to the watercourses within the region, leading to sedimentation and subsequential smothering of aquatic habitat. Overburdened rivers deposit these silts and sediments within the estuaries, which impacts the estuarine ecological integrity by unnatural closure of the estuarine mouth into the ocean. This inhibits interaction of the rivers within the oceans, which impacts on biodiversity at the regional scale because of the lack of migrational movement of aquatic biota.

6. SWOT analysis of the UTDM.

The SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) for the various local municipalities has been presented in Table 1 below. A common aspect throughout the local residents of the UTDM is poverty and therefore many of the weaknesses and threats pertaining to surface water resources are similar for the 5 municipal areas. The conservation of the surface water resources will ultimately only be possible through formalisation of the sanitation and waste sectors throughout the region. Upliftment of the communities will also allow for a lesser dependency on natural resources, removing the impacts and drivers associated with this. The area is a sought-after tourist destination and, together with the agricultural sector, could be developed further for job creation and a sense of ownership by the local communities. This is therefore a generalised and common concept throughout all local municipalities of the UTDM.

Table 1: SWOT analysis for the local municipalities of the UTDM.

LM Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats

Aesthetically pleasing landscapes; Area with high heritage Commercial and residential status and therefore developments means that the Commercial there is a high potential biodiversity and surface water agriculture creates for eco-tourism; resources within area are most greater High population densities at risk through pollution; employment Ecotourism and the potentially putting pressure on opportunities; incorporation of the Poverty and a high dependence over-capacitated infrastructure. local community as on natural resources from a Emnambithi Emnambithi Formal areas of custodians and large proportion of the Ladysmith and beneficiaries of population leading to the Estcourt, with conservation and decline of species and formal ecotourism. biodiversity. infrastructure and management.

Poor formal infrastructure; Development sprawl; Pressure on existing services due to informal and unplanned Low population development; Ecotourism and the Poorly managed communal land densities; incorporation of the which perpetuates soil erosion; Impoverished communities that Aesthetically local community as place great pressure on Over-exploitation for tourism pleasing custodians and environmental resources; benefits; Indaka landscapes; beneficiaries of Large proportion of population has conservation and Lack of service capacity to cater High tourism a lack of formal refuse disposal and ecotourism. for development expansion. attraction. sanitation. Informal dumping of refuse waste most often occurs within wetland and drainage lines (viewed as open spaces within areas).

Poor formal infrastructure; Development sprawl; Pressure on existing services due to informal and unplanned Low population development; Ecotourism and the densities; incorporation of the Impoverished communities that Aesthetically local community as Highly-erodible soils within place great pressure on pleasing custodians and catchment areas aggravated by environmental resources; landscapes; beneficiaries of over grazing of livestock. Umtshezi Umtshezi Large proportion of population has conservation and High tourism a lack of formal refuse disposal and ecotourism. attraction. sanitation. Informal dumping of refuse waste most often occurs within wetland and drainage lines (viewed as open spaces within areas)

LM Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats

Over-exploitation for tourism benefits; Subsistence dependence on surface water resources;

Ecotourism – especially Highly-erodible soils within within the areas catchment areas aggravated by associated with the over grazing of livestock; Catchment management objectives Ukhahlamba World Remnants of the mining sector and agencies inactive within the heritage Site that have not been Major source of municipal area; (Drakensberg) and the rehabilitated or stabilised; freshwater within largely-rural open the area; Rugged terrain limits formal wilderness. However it is observed that development and service delivery; Opportunities for environmental degradation due Large wetlands that to poor land uses such as The mining sector has had major ecotourism and eco- Okhahlamba Okhahlamba are attractive for indiscriminate settlement, ecological impacts within the education; tourism. indiscriminate removal of municipal area, which have not Opportunity to involve vegetation and damage to been addressed. the community in water wetlands have resulted in lower management (quantity yields and diminished water and quality) especially flow the in rivers and stream. It within the rural sectors. is observed that the rivers and streams appear to contain significantly less water in recent years than used to be case in the past two the three decades..

Commercial exploits, Most urban area of the UDM; guest house Poorly managed communal land development, general which perpetuates soil erosion; Large proportion designated to catering for ecotourism; formal agriculture; Over-exploitation for tourism Ecotourism and the benefits; Residents were displaced to incorporation of the Lack of service capacity to cater accommodate the expansion of the local community as

Imbabazane for development expansion; Isimangaliso Wetland Park – custodians and potential feelings of resentment beneficiaries of Irrigation demand often toward conservation initiatives. conservation and exceeds supply. ecotourism

7. Management priorities.

What is clear throughout the UTDM is the general adverse poverty of the local communities. Provision of basic education (including environmental education), provision for water and sanitation, electricity and basic housing are aspects that should be regarded as management priorities. These are all factors that, singly and in combination, pose a perpetual threat to the overall aquatic ecosystem health of the systems. Urban planning is required to enable the designation and maintenance of conservation buffers associated with sensitive ecological features (watercourses and wetlands). Informal settlement areas should not be allowed to establish within areas where these ecological sensitive features could be impacted upon. Formal agriculture within riparian zones should also be curbed. Water abstraction rights need to be formalised in order to quantify the demand and to ensure that

the overall ecological reserve can be maintained within the system. Review of the IDP reports of the various local municipalities indicated that many strategically important municipal management posts are vacant. Priority should be placed on filling these positions as management objectives cannot be achieved without them being driven by active personnel.

8. References.

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DALLAS, H.F. (2005a). Inventory of National River Health Programme monitoring sites – vol 1. The Freshwater Consulting Group / Freshwater Research Unit, University of Cape Town Prepared for: Environmentek (CSIR) and Resource Quality Services, Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, Pretoria.

DALLAS, H.F. (2005b). Inventory of National River Health Programme monitoring sites – vol 2 – Maps of national RHP monitoring sites – per water management area. The Freshwater Consulting Group / Freshwater Research Unit, University of Cape Town Prepared for: Environmentek (CSIR) and Resource Quality Services, Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, Pretoria.

DALLAS, H.F. and DAY, J.A. (2004). The Effect of Water Quality Variables on Aquatic Ecosystems: A Review. WRC Report No. TT 224/04.

DAVIS, B. and DAY, J. (1998) Vanishing waters. University of Cape Town Press, Cape Town, South Africa. DWA (2000). Implementation of catchment management in South Africa – The national policy (First edition). Department of Water Affairs, Pretoria.

DWA (2003a). Water Quality Management Series, Sub-Series No. MS 8.2. A Guideline to the Water Quality Management Component of a Catchment Management Strategy. Edition 1 . Department of Water Affairs, Pretoria.

DWA (2003b). Water Quality Management Series, Sub-Series No. MS 8.1. A Conceptual Introduction to the Nature and Content of the Water Quality Management and Assessment Components of a Catchment Management Strategy. Edition 1. Department of Water Affairs, Pretoria.

DWAF (2004). Internal Strategic Perspective: Thukela Water Management Area. Prepared by Tlou & Matji (Pty) Ltd, WRP (Pty) Ltd, and DMM cc on behalf of the Directorate: National Water Resource Planning (East). DWAF Report No. P WMA 07/000/00/0304. Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, Pretoria. DWA (2010). Resource Water Quality Assessment: Thukela. Department of Water Affairs, Pretoria.

Emnambithi/Ladysmith Local Municipality: Integrated Development Plan 2011/2012. (Draft).

Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife (2011). uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park World Heritage Site: Integrated Management Plan. Version 1.0. Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, Pietermaritzburg. HUGHES R.H. and HUGHES J.S. (1992). A directory of African wetlands. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK / UNEP, Nairobi, Kenya / WCMC, Cambridge, UK.

Imbabazane Local Municipality: Integrated Development Plan 2011/12 to 2015/16. KEMPSTER, PL., HATTINGH, WHJ., and VAN VLIET, HR. (1982). Summarised water quality criteria. Technical report NR. Tr 108. Department of Environmental Affairs and Forestry, Pretoria. NEL, J.L., DRIVER, A., STRYDOM, W.F., MAHERRY, A., PETERSON, C., HILL, ROUX, D.J., NIENABER, S., VAN DEVENTER, H., SWARTZ, E and SMITH-ADAO, L.B. (2011). Atlas of freshwater ecosystem priority areas in South Africa: Maps to support sustainable development of water resources. Report to the Water Research Commission. WRC Report No. TT 500/11. The GIS shapefiles associated with this publication (wetland clusters, fish sanctuary areas, open rivers and fish support areas) were also utilised. Okhahlamba Local Municipality: Integrated Development Plan 2012/13 (Draft). SANBI (2006) Vegetation map of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland. Mucina, L. and Rutherford, M.C. (Editors). Strelitzia 19, South African National Biodiversity Institute, Kirstenbosch Research Centre, Claremont, South Africa. SANBI (2009). Present Ecological State of the major rivers was sourced from the SANBI (BGIS) database. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Kirstenbosch Research Centre, Claremont, South Africa. Umtshezi Local Municipality: Integrated Development Plan 2012/13.