Province approves City’s Diep River Estuary Management
03 April 2023
The Western Cape Provincial Government’s Department of Environmental
Affairs and Development Planning has approved the City of Cape Town’s Diep
River Estuary Management Plan in terms of Section 9 of the National Estuarine
Management Protocol. The plan includes new information and recommendations on
how the City may manage the estuary more effectively.
The Diep River Estuary Management plan was published for public comment and input in May last year, and was subsequently approved by the City's Council in December 2022.
'All of the necessary approvals are now in place. This is a significant milestone in addressing pollution in the estuary, and the associated challenges and impact on surrounding communities. As a local government, our primary focus is to sustainably respond to the impact of rapid urbanisation.
'We are facing many pressures and the Diep River Estuary Management Plan seeks to respond to the longstanding environmental pressures in Milnerton, Table View and surrounds. I trust that the affected communities will, over time, see and experience the benefits of the Diep River Estuary Management Plan,' said the City's Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Alderman Eddie Andrews.
The estuary covers an area of approximately 900 hectares and is the point where the Diep River meets the ocean. The river originates in the Riebeek Kasteel Mountains north-east of Malmesbury, and flows for about 65km south-west towards Cape Town, before entering the sea some 5km north of the Port of Cape Town.
As it flows towards the sea, the Diep River meanders through the Rietvlei and Milnerton Lagoon.
'The revised Diep River Estuary Management Plan identifies pragmatic and realistic management interventions that will be undertaken against short, medium and long-term time horizons to address the current pressures on the estuary, and within the context of a heavily altered and urbanised environment.
'The plan includes new information and recommendations on how the City may manage the estuary more effectively. The plan was workshopped with a number of external experts and independent scientists in the field of coastal and estuarine science, and key City departments. The public also had the opportunity to comment on the draft Diep River EMP as part of the public participation process,' said Alderman Andrews.
The plan acknowledges the systemic pressures arising from multiple land uses within the wider catchment area of the Diep River and adopts a transversal approach towards addressing these pressures.
A total of 47 high priority actions are indicated in the report and those priority actions are assigned to the responsible City departments.
'The Diep River Estuary Management Plan is another example of our absolute commitment to, over time, improve the quality of our inland waterbodies and in Milnerton in particular,' said Alderman Andrews.
End
Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
