Managing stormwater in South African neighbourhoods: When engineers and scientists need social science skills to get their jobs done

Abstract

Stormwater harvesting via managed aquifer recharge in retrofitted infrastructure has been posited as a method for resource augmentation in Cape Town. However, the existing guidelines on stormwater retrofits are technically inclined, occidental, and generally misaligned with the realities and socio-economic contexts of developing nations like South Africa. Water and urban practitioners from developing nations cannot just 'copy and paste' existing guidelines as different socio-economic dimensions and colonial histories typically hinder 'traditional' approaches. This paper assesses how a transdisciplinary team navigated these realities in a case study of a retrofitted pond in Mitchells Plain, Cape Town. A decolonial thinking framework was applied for reflection and thematic content analysis. The framework was used to unpack how the team encountered, addressed, and learned from the challenges during the retrofit process. The research team found that the retrofit process within a context of under-resourced South African communities can be viewed as developmental work with a strong emphasis on continuous community engagement. Thus, it is suggested that in the South African context, water practitioners should consider, at the fore, interaction with local communities, including awareness of racialised histories, to ensure projects are successfully implemented and completed. HIGHLIGHTS Multi-use in stormwater ponds in Southern context.; Community involvement in retrofit process.; Social science reflection among technical team.; Considerations of local context key to stormwater retrofit and multi-use success.; Engineers, water professionals and all those involved in water management and design can engage in ethical ecology that works to improve practice, and address past environmental injustices.;

Keywords

• community engagement
• interdisciplinary research
• stormwater harvesting