Danger: Rescue teams search for bodies after flash floods hit pilgrims in Alexandra. (Phill Magakoe/Getty Images)
Urban waterways contain the largest resources but accessibility has been lost due to uncontrolled urbanization. Spatial planning has limited or removed the environmental and social benefits of urban waterways from urban residents, namely how rivers can improve quality of life, public health, and sense of community.
Unfortunately, the potential benefits are hindered by gray infrastructure, where the morphology and natural processes of urban waterways have been removed and replaced by impervious surfaces – mainly concrete. In addition, many other problems exist in urban waterways that are neglected as discussed above.
Take the 97km long Jukskei river in Gauteng for example. Throughout history, the Jukskei River has been a prominent location where people would settle. Here, people and animals have access to fresh water and fertile soil. The river would eventually play an important role in the development of Johannesburg, the largest city in Gauteng.
The Highveld region, which includes Johannesburg, tends to have heavy rainfall patterns – which is why flooding is so frequent, especially as much of Johannesburg is characteristically developed near the Jukskei river – often at the flood line. These factors lead to a brief warning period before flooding – usually only a few hours at most.
Not only is the infrastructure damaged during the floods, there is also a lack of ongoing maintenance. This caused the river to be heavily polluted with sewage. The pollution has contributed to the growth of the invasive water hyacinth at the Hartbeespoort Dam, which flows into the Jusksei River. The river is also polluted by urban runoff and other waste to the extent that it is blocked, disrupting the natural flow of water in the river.
Disadvantaged communities bear the negative effects associated with neglected urban waterways, such as Alexandra Township located next to the Jukskei River. The township (which was originally planned for 70 000 people) has become an unsafe and unhealthy home for an estimated 750 000 people known as “backyard shacks”. The infrastructure is overloaded due to unexpected population growth. Water for the future states that “what should be an asset to society is the danger and health risk”.
To reduce the problems associated with urban waterways, there must be an ongoing commitment to transform water bodies into clean and natural waterways. The initiative to clean the Jukskei River from a lot of waste has been implemented by organizations such as Water for the Future and the Department of Water and Sanitation as part of the Celebration of Water Month and World Cleanup Day.
The rehabilitation campaign can be seen beyond the boundaries of Gauteng as Johannesburg has been identified as a sub-continental polluter where the city’s pollution is carried north through the Jukskei River into Limpopo Province.
There are many solutions that arise from the need to inspire respect for water resources.
The city’s waterways and Johannesburg are more liveable
Urgent government intervention is needed to prioritize urban drainage along with spatial planning policies. Bruce Reznik, director of LA Waterkeeper, said that “we spent billions of dollars to open up the heavens, then we realized there was a problem with flooding. So we spent billions more to build concrete channels to keep the water away from us. Then we realized there was a problem with the water supply.
Furthermore, the policy on blue-green infrastructure should be a priority to formulate a strategy that will solve the problems as mentioned above. One of the main focuses is the rehabilitation of vegetation along and in waterways through recanalization – returning to a natural state. This simple intervention will prevent riverbank erosion and strengthen bank stabilization; improve water quality and waterway health by slowing water flow; creating open space for recreational purposes; and provide a more pleasant waterway environment.
The benefit is also seen for The Reimagining Your Moonee Ponds Creek project – an initiative that can be implemented worldwide, especially in Jusksei Rivier. The purpose of the policy will also be to strengthen the conservation of urban water channels and use them to manage storm water, as well as provide regulatory, support, cultural and other provision services.
Community involvement is another step to reduce damage to urban waterways. The Department of Water and Sanitation’s Clear Rivers campaign stresses that “the connection between communities and healthy rivers cannot be underestimated”. Emphasis can be placed on NPOs to change the public’s attitude and perception towards water channels through sensible campaigns. If the public understands the causes of human-caused natural disasters such as floods; how to protect yourself, others and the environment; as well as the potential benefits of healthy urban waterways, then communities will be more involved in maintaining urban waterways and other blue-green infrastructure.
As the city’s waterways are considered corridors in the blue-green infrastructure, it is also worth noting that the area that is also maintained in terms of green-space, seems to have an impact on the level of crime. A study published in 2022 found that in the global south, there is a 1.2% decrease in crime for every 1% increase in total green space.
The result of the campaign, led by Water for the Future, is based on a three-pronged strategy to “bring health, wealth, and biodiversity to the Jukskei upstream”.
This brings us back to the potential of urban waterways and what ecosystem services they can provide. The concept of ecosystem services helps assign value to services that have a direct benefit on human physical, social, or economic health. When urban waterways are maintained in terms of infrastructure and biodiversity, they provide ecosystems that produce healthy and clean water; managing storm water, soil, and air quality; supporting habitats for biodiversity; and they create a sense of place.
Reinventing Urban Waterways has the potential to provide totally campaigns such as the Water for the Future approach and its potential to unlock previously neglected possibilities, use and potential of urban waterways. Another example is our new project by Young Urbanists that seeks to recreate the Litterboom Project which aims to clean up the vast, polluted urban waterways and urban swamps through innovative and tangible technologies.
If we can fix the Jukskei River and Gauteng’s vast urban waterways, we can be one step closer to a more livable country. It’s time we stop producing endless and ambiguous policies and get our hands dirty to transform cities where people and nature come first, not concrete, roads and endless cities.
Danika Prinsloo is a registered urban planner candidate with the South African Planning Council and is part of the young urbanist committee as a water and biodiversity leader. Ruth Manda is a SACLAP registered landscape architect and is the Gauteng regional chair of the Institute of Landscape Architecture in South Africa.
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect official policy or position Mail & Guardians.