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Green and Ecological Infrastructures and Water Security at a Municipal Level: An Overview

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eThekwini’s Green and Ecological Infrastructure Policy Landscape

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Abstract

Humankind has increased water security in highly-industrialised states by supplying sizeable populations with potable water and sanitation services. However, to a large extent, in developing countries like South Africa, cities like Durban still face water insecurity concerns. In the context of such concerns, green and ecological infrastructures play a role in water security and in other normative objectives, such as biodiversity protection, climate change adaptation and mitigation, as well as in sustainable development. Water security is linked to the notion of environmental and human security. It is not only at international level that water security has become a prominent objective, concept and practice; the local governments in South Africa also have a constitutional obligation to provide water services to their citizens. The government apparatus that is closest to the people are the municipalities, and their services to residents include water purification and reticulation, wastewater treatment and storm-water discharge. This chapter explains the political context of green and ecological infrastructures, coupled with water security, in the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Pretoria, South Africa

    Richard Meissner

  2. Centre for Water Resources Research, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Scottsville, South Africa

    Richard Meissner

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Meissner, R. (2021). Green and Ecological Infrastructures and Water Security at a Municipal Level: An Overview. In: eThekwini’s Green and Ecological Infrastructure Policy Landscape. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-53051-8_1

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