Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
presents a strong obstacle to the implementation of poverty alleviation
policies and to the reduction of social inequities because extreme weather
events and sea-level rise might affect tourism infrastructures and local
coastlines and beaches.
Building quality living environments is another critical long-term goal
for Durban. EThekwini Municipality is working to “promote access to
equitable, appropriate and sustainable levels of household infrastructure
and community services, and facilitate access to housing” (EThekwini
Municipality 2008, 36). Infrastructure development will, however, be put
at risk by climate change due to sea-level rise and extreme weather,
decreased water availability for human and industrial consumption, and
the fl ooding of economically signifi cant areas. These impacts, coupled
with the need for municipal authorities to cope with immediate risks and
disasters rather than planning and building new housing, roads, and
bridges, create signifi cant developmental and social problems for Durban.
Such challenges are likely to directly affect poor and vulnerable
groups, and their ability to access well-connected infrastructure and
municipal services, which will further strengthen existing sociospatial
inequities in the city. The municipality currently has 140,000 urban and
65,000 rural households that lack access to adequate services such as
housing, water, electricity, and sanitation (Department of Environmental
Affairs and Tourism 2006). Not only will these existing backlogs be
compromised by the negative impacts of climate change, but existing
developments such as the low-cost housing projects in Durban—many
of which have been constructed on steep slopes and adjacent to drainage
lines—are likely to be increasingly vulnerable as the climate continues to
change. The end result is that any developmental progress that has been
achieved in South African cities under democracy could be signifi cantly
undermined by existing and future climate change.
Under these conditions, eThekwini Municipality is faced with increas-
ing diffi culties in meeting the fi nancial goal of the IDP, which is to
“maximize the utilization of the Municipality's fi nancial resources to
ensure long-term fi nancial viability” (EThekwini Municipality 2008, 80).
The economic implications of climate change will be signifi cant for new
infrastructure and housing developments, given the predicted damage to
the infrastructure and the accompanying impacts of agricultural shifts
and effects on human health. Climatic impacts will necessitate additional
expenditure on food production and health care, as well as the search
for additional sources of national and international funding, which could
divert funds away from future development projects.
