The Environmental Compliance Unit undertakes the procedures of Integrated Environmental Management, or IEM. IEM is both a philosophy and a procedure regulated by law for ensuring that the environmental consequences of an action are considered at each of the planning, decision-making, implementation and monitoring stages of a policy, plan, programme or project.

The National Environmental Management Act (NEMA), Act 108 of 1998 contains principles for sustainable development and established the procedures that must be followed in each stage of the IEM process. The overall function of the Environmental Compliance Unit is to assist the City of Cape Town to comply with these principles and procedures in order to promote sustainable development.

Key functions of the unit include:

Environmental review

Environmental input is provided for proposed policies, plans, programmes and projects, both from other spheres of government, such as National and Provincial government, and for private sector development proposals. This often involves co-ordinating City comment on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) processes and reports, as well as providing input to the development of project proposals in order to ensure that they comply with legislative and policy requirements.

Environmental Management Systems (EMS) and audit protocol

The City of Cape Town has adopted an EMS and audit protocol that assists relevant service units and staff to comply with conditions of approval and to improve the environmental management component of their overall management systems. Together with trained staff from other service units, such as Water and Solid Waste, internal audits of City facilities such as wastewater treatment works and solid waste disposal sites are undertaken. The City of Cape Town Environmental Management Programme (EMP) Specifications set out the environmental controls that need to be incorporated into tender documents and applied on site.

Environmental Information System

The Environmental Information System (EIS) is intended to provide a ‘one stop shop’ for the City’s environmental information in digital format. Its content is used to guide the implementation of all relevant City strategies and policies. Environmental spatial data available to the public includes information on biodiversity, vegetation, protected areas, soils, heritage resources and wetlands. In future, it is proposed that the EIS will be available to major users and providers of information via the internet.

For environmental GIS/spatial information enquiries, please e-mail enviro.gis@capetown.gov.za

For further information, contact:

Mr Keith Wiseman (Manager)
Tel:  +27 (0)21 487 2283
Fax: +27 (0)21 487 2578
E-mail: keith.wiseman@capetown.gov.za

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