Pandora's Box: assessing the current trends and challenges of IWRM in the uMngeni catchment

The uMngeni catchment in KwaZulu-Natal faces numerous challenges that threaten the availability and quality of water resources. To understand the prevalent issues, the purpose of the study was to assess the institutional aspects that may or may not have facilitated Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM). Twenty-one semi-structured interviews were conducted, and development planning and environmental management tools were analysed. Water User Associations (WUAs) are statutory bodies and have not been established at the local level. Moreover, an operational Catchment Management Agency (CMA) at the regional level is non-existent. Consequently, the implementation of IWRM has been very limited. The establishment of the uMngeni Ecological Infrastructure Partnership (UEIP) has facilitated the integration of role-players in the absence of an operational CMA. Most of the spatial planning and environmental management tools feature water resource planning except for the integrated waste management plans. As a result, poor solid waste management contributes to the poor water quality in the uMngeni catchment. The challenges remaining are the poor implementation of plans due to a lack of human and financial resources. Therefore, the gap created by a non-existent operational CMA means catchment management activities will continue to negatively affect water resources and the degree to which water resource management is integrated.