February 16, 2005
By Ndaba Dlamini
AN ENVIRONMENTAL management framework to guide development in Kliptown has been given the green light by the City of Johannesburg as part of the efforts to spruce up the historic township over the next three years.
Nemai Consulting, an environmental and social consultant, was appointed to draw up the framework, as part of the Greater Kliptown rehabilitation initiative. The initiative was put in place to make the township, one of Joburg's oldest, more habitable and conducive to business.
A dusty street in one of Kliptown's informal settlements
A report from the City's development planning, transportation and environment department says the framework is aimed at reversing the degradation of water, land, air, roads, water supply, housing and the sewer system. It will also give the plans and tools needed to assist, guide and control development in Kliptown before, during and after the construction phase of existing and planned projects in Greater Kliptown.
So far, the rehabilitation initiative has implemented projects to upgrade housing, water provision, sanitation and roads and systems to cope with storm water. The development of Freedom Square and the construction of facilities for informal traders are also under way.
Kliptown, where the 1955 Freedom Charter was adopted as the guiding document of the African National Congress, was established in 1903.
According to the report, it is this historic background that has "provided the impetus for the proposed preservation and improvement of the Greater Kliptown region".
The area has been neglected and has become overcrowded with backyard shacks, which, in most cases, completely encase the original formal houses, making the township look like a shanty town.
The erosion of the natural environment, which is described as "severely degraded", largely is a result of the lack of services - especially water, sanitation and waste management - in Kliptown's 11 informal settlements. With no water-borne sewerage, the settlements use chemical toilets, ventilated pit latrines or the bucket system. All are comparatively unhygienic and outdated methods of waste disposal.
Residents are forced to use coal fires for cooking and warmth as there is no electricity. This has led to high levels of air pollution, exacerbated by dust from the unpaved roads.
Waste is one of the most pressing environmental problems in Klipspruit, the report says. Illegal dumping, a major source of environmental pollution, has led to accumulated rubbish in open spaces and along the area's roads.
Pikitup, the City's waste management company, has not been able to cope with the rate of illegal dumping, the report says. In addition, it is difficult for waste disposal trucks to reach most of the illegal dumpsites in the informal settlements because of congestion and the lack of roads. Consequently, the rubbish has built up over time.
The report notes that the main sources of waste are informal settlements. The proposed action plans suggest providing plastic bags for domestic refuse to residents of each informal settlement as a mitigating measure against illegal dumping. Pikitup is expected to co-ordinate the distribution of refuse bags to individual homes through community leaders.
Receptacles, such as concrete litter bins, will be installed in places where dumping and littering is chronic, including at markets, taxi ranks and railway stations.
There will be education programmes on proper waste management and clean-up campaigns involving residents and schools will be carried out in an attempt to promote "the desired environmental state in Kliptown" in the short term.
The Klipspruit River, which runs through Kliptown, is also polluted. Wastewater from the informal settlements flows into the river, which is already suffering from siltation and up-stream pollution from mining.
A Klipspruit River clean-up project was initiated by the Johannesburg Development Agency in 2002 to rehabilitate the sewer system and to upgrade the infrastructure in and around the river over three years at a cost of R86-million.
The Kliptown environmental framework also has proposed plans that spell out best practices for environmental protection during and after any Greater Kliptown development projects are undertaken. These action plans identify prominent environmental features that need attention, including open spaces.
One of the main thrusts of the Greater Kliptown development programme is to promote the area as an attractive tourist destination, the report says. To draw visitors, aesthetic improvements are needed, as are recreation facilities for visitors and residents alike.
The facilities that are there already, including Bowlow's Recreational Centre, informal parks, a number of informal soccer fields and the Soweto golf course, are inadequate. New ones are planned.
According to the report, the new structure at the Walter Sisulu Square of Dedication will accommodate recreational activities, and new parks are planned. A landscape architect has been appointed to compile an open space master plan.
More open spaces also will be created through the rehabilitation of Klipspruit River. This will ensure a natural green corridor along the watercourse. Picnic spots along the river are planned to complement the proposed planting of trees on its banks.
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