- Title
- Smart catchment management and application in the Swartkops River and Estuary
- Creator
- Mmachaka,Thandi Nthabiseng
- Subject
- Estuarine ecology--South Africa--Swartkops River Estuary
- Date Issued
- 2022-04
- Date
- 2022-04
- Type
- Doctoral theses
- Type
- text
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/10948/55932
- Identifier
- vital:54401
- Description
- The influence of urbanization and industrialization on natural resources results in complex water resource management. In South Africa, there has been escalating rural-urban migration, a growing population in urban areas, and the mushrooming of informal settlements in cities over the last five decades. In the pursuit of protecting water resources, these contextual realities create a significant challenge to policymakers, planners, and implementers. Due to rapid population growth, climate change, recent droughts, and growing competition among agricultural, industrial, commercial, environmental, and domestic sectors, water resources are presently under severe stress in South Africa. This situation necessitates the effective management of water resources. This study completed a situational assessment for the Swartkops Catchment to examine the extent of pollution, mapped sources of pollution, investigated water quality governance and identified hot spot areas to provide the foundation for effective and efficient catchment management. To determine the current water quality status of the Swartkops Catchment, this current study investigated spatial and temporal variation in physico-chemical parameters, nutrients, and faecal bacteria. This study applied a mixed-method research design using semi-structured interviews and focus groups discussions as data collection methods to investigate the water quality governance of the Swartkops Catchment. Following the situational assessment of the Swartkops Catchment, the effectiveness of applying innovative smart catchment practices to improve water quality was investigated. The word smart in this context refers to innovative mechanisms that will ensure effective and efficient water resources management. The PHP scripting language (Hypertext Preprocessor), Android studio, Wampserver, and JavaScript were used to develop the Water Use Screening System (WUSS) and Pollution Incident Reporting System (PRS). In South Africa, stormwater infrastructure suffers from unsustainable utilization. Stormwater systems discharge into many of the country‘s rivers and estuaries, including Swartkops, leading to water quality degradation. To improve the Recommended Ecological Category (REC) of the Swartkops Estuary to Category C, drivers that contribute to poor water quality must be understood to inform appropriate management interventions. Results from sampling in Markman Canal were compared with historical water quality data. The present study showed that the Markman Canal contributed faecal bacteria, nutrients, and trace metals to the Swartkops Estuary. The Markman Canal was the greatest source of trace metals to the Swartkops Estuary compared to the other point sources entering the estuary. The results show that arsenic and mercury levels in the Markman Canal and the Swartkops Estuary were higher than that previously measured. Iron and copper concentrations were higher in the Markman Canal whereas only copper increased in the Swartkops Estuary.
- Description
- Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, School of Environmental Sciences, 2022
- Format
- computer
- Format
- online resource
- Format
- application/pdf
- Format
- 1 online resource (xvii, 256 pages)
- Format
- Publisher
- Nelson Mandela University
- Publisher
- Faculty of Science
- Language
- English
- Rights
- Nelson Mandela University
- Rights
- All Rights Reserved
- Rights
- Open Access
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| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | SOURCE1 | Mmachaka, T.pdf | 9 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |