Abstract
Globally, urbanisation attracts informal settlements. Such settlements often do not comply with official spatial planning guidelines and are hardly provided with basic services, including drainage infrastructure. Storm water management is particularly important to build resilience in cities, especially with the increasing impact of climate change and the efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. It is against this background that this chapter explores the factors influencing the poor provision and maintenance of storm water management systems in different areas located in Port St Johns, South Africa. Using a household survey, key informant interviews and observations as the main research instruments to collect data, the study points to the importance of storm water management as a key infrastructure component that requires sufficient funding to reduce flood risks. In addition, the study recommends community-led initiatives to enable storm water intervention strategies. It further proposes that the local government develops prevention measures against the building of houses in flood-prone areas.
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Kunene, H.P., Ntombela, N.G., Madikizela, A. (2021). The Need for Effective Storm Water Management to Build Flood Resilient Communities: A Case of Port St Johns, South Africa. In: Nhamo, G., Chapungu, L. (eds) The Increasing Risk of Floods and Tornadoes in Southern Africa. Sustainable Development Goals Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-74192-1_8
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