Green infrastructure options for improved waterway and catchment management in the City of Cape Town

The Anchor team was contracted to the GIZ and supervised by the Senior Project Adviser in the City of Cape Town’s (CCT’s) Catchment, Stormwater and River Management (CSRM) Branch. The work was done in collaboration with the departments/branches that make up the CCT project implementing team. The overall aim was to develop a green infrastructure (GI), waterway rehabilitation and nature-based solutions (NbS) masterplan for the CCT that identified potential projects in two of its catchment areas (Zeekoe catchment and Diep/Sand sub-catchment).  The project concepts were sufficiently detailed to allow the CCT to make informed decisions about which projects will proceed to implementation. This involved an analysis of the hydrology and geohydrology, water quality and ecology of the waterways of the two catchments, the socio-economic characteristics, needs and preferences of the communities along the waterways, and an analysis of the land use and governance context. This culminated in the identification of a suite of GI interventions to be carried out in each of the catchments. An ecosystem services and vulnerability assessment was then undertaken to assess the benefits of the interventions. Ecosystem services considered included flood attenuation, nutrient retention, sediment retention, heat amelioration, vegetable production (provisioning) and tourism and property values. Following this a GI Masterplan for each catchment was finalized, including landscape drawings. The consultancy included a strong social component, in which a series of well-planned, targeted and tailored stakeholder engagements were used to better understand community stakeholders’ relationships with the water ways and their perceptions and needs, so as to be able to develop realistic, appropriate plans that will have their support. The project also had a strong gender and equity focus which was carried through into the development of the masterplans.