Local Solutions to Global Threats: Community-Based Climate Adaptation

Climate change in South Africa is no longer a distant concern but a harsh existential reality, particularly for vulnerable communities. Recent experiences in Winnie Mandela informal settlement highlighted the rapid onset of severe street flooding following what would normally be considered moderate rainfall.

Street flooding within an hour of rainfall can completely halt traffic flow and pose an immediate danger to people, homes, and animals. It became apparent that adaptation and resilience to climate disasters are often perceived as beyond the reach of individuals or communities. This article seeks to demonstrate the value of community-based adaptation (CBA) and preparedness in fostering resilience to climate disasters. CBA is about empowering vulnerable communities and their local governments to understand and analyse how the climate is and will continue to impact on their lives.

Informed by various research outputs and first-hand experience, this article investigates how community-based adaptation strategies can be used to protect vulnerable populations during severe weather events. Successful CBA hinges on active community involvement, fostering a sense of ownership and collective responsibility. The article proposes practical and actionable recommendations to addressing the disproportionate impact of climate change on marginalized communities living in informal settlements, who are most vulnerable to environmental shocks.

The State of Affairs in Relation to Climate Disasters

In its assessment of issues pertaining to climate change risks and vulnerabilities, the City of Ekurhuleni acknowledged that the region under its municipal area is prone to intense rainfall events in terms of thunderstorms, which generally fall in the late afternoons (EMM, 2015). These storms account for the major flooding and heavy rainfall events that can cause much damage to livelihoods and infrastructure.

It is also widely accepted that people living in densely populated informal settlements with high concentrations of poverty and limited socio-economic services are the most vulnerable, particularly to extreme events such as flooding, drought, and severe storms. A direct assessment of informal settlements, including Winnie Mandela, reveals that a large proportion of residents lack access to adequate waste collection services and functional storm-water infrastructure. This situation exacerbates vulnerabilities considering that garbage and plant growth can quickly clog drains, leading to localized flooding with even light rainfall.

Figure 1: Street water run-off captured in Winnie Mandela informal settlement.

Role of Government

The South African government has established a multi-tiered approach to climate change adaptation and risk reduction, with national government championing legislation, provincial government managing coordination and local government steering implementation. Through infrastructure upgrades and community engagement, Ekurhuleni exemplifies localised climate resilience efforts. Ekurhuleni’s Climate Change Response Strategy acknowledges that better urban planning and service delivery infrastructure choices can reduce energy use, improve the resilience of urban infrastructure to climate change, and minimize the impact of climate change on the poor (EMM, 2015).

Climate change must be integrated into the city's daily operations as a cross-cutting issue requiring coordinated efforts. In this regard, the government also needs to strengthen its coordination of climate change response efforts which must involve communities. This includes investing in response systems, early warning systems and ensuring that local communities are adequately prepared for floods, heatwaves, and fires. In the context of Ekurhuleni, the government has an established Disaster Management and Emergency Communication Unit responsible for disaster management, response, relief, recovery, rehabilitation, reconstruction and development. Uniting this unit with established community structures can improve coordination during disasters, and lead to improved responses.

Areas like Winnie Mandela face persistent flooding due to inadequate or collapsed infrastructure. While some storm water projects exist, scaling them requires sustained funding and faster implementation that involves community structures. The South African Government established the Climate Change Response Fund in 2024 as a response to the severe climate- and weather-related events. Whereas this fund pools resources from government and private sectors to address climate impacts like floods, it is worth interrogating how it trickles down to communities like those in Winnie Mandela.  Government must be intentional about utilising such funds to invest in informal-settlement-upgrading programs to reduce hazards and reduce risk by reducing exposure to hazards.

Role of Communities and Leaders in Community Led Climate Adaptation

First, community leaders (including ward councillors, local business owners, traditional leaders and religious figures, community activists, school officials etc.,) must capacitate themselves to be able to organise and to mobilise residents and must have the capacity to educate and agitate residents on specific climate issues facing them. Local leaders must work alongside community members to develop and implement climate action plans that are tailored to the specific vulnerabilities of their areas. Given the increasing intensity of storms and flooding, improving drainage systems must be a priority. 

Community leaders play a pivotal role in community-led climate adaptation and risk reduction by mobilizing communities, fostering collective action, and ensuring that local needs are addressed in adaptation strategies. Local leaders must further play an active role in advocacy and social mobilization to address the underlying causes of vulnerability, such as poor local governance, inequality over resource use, or limited access to basic services, and influence policy and create an enabling environment.

A policy briefing by CARE Climate Justice Center recognised that building the resilience of vulnerable communities will not happen through isolated actions in adaptation, disaster risk reduction (DRR), early warning systems (EWS), and social protection. A coordinated response which works together to achieve resilience over the long term is essential and is more likely to result in multiple wins across adaptation, food security, risk reduction and mitigation (Ward and Percy, 2013). Therefore, community leaders must make efforts to formalize resident-led committees to monitor infrastructure, report hazards and coordinate communities towards co-creation of adaptation strategies.

Communication and Rapid Response Mechanisms

Information from climate science and the ability to understand and work with uncertainty is an essential resource to assist decision making for adaptation and resilience. Community-based approaches enable local communities to work with local municipal officials and identify the risks themselves, thereby addressing vulnerability issues using local knowledge, information and skills.

Enhancing community involvement and awareness can improve the effectiveness of community led climate adaptation and risk reduction. This was proven in 2016, when a thunderstorm blew off the roofs of about 200 households in Winnie Mandela informal settlement, leaving an estimated nearly 400 people displaced, according to news reports. Other areas damaged by the storm included approximately 100 shacks and 20 houses in Hospital View. This isolated event has demonstrated that establishing rapid response protocols is essential for timely intervention during emergencies. This includes clear communication channels between government officials, NGOs, and community leaders to coordinate efforts effectively.

I happen to be a member of a community WhatsApp group in my local community. The WhatsApp group had over time provided notifications of planned and unplanned power outages, water interruptions and causes thereof, and criminal incidents and responses from authorities. Whereas joining the WhatsApp group seemed trivial at first, it has turned out to be a source of critical information that helps with preparedness against unforeseen incidents.

In a study on the role of public participation in disaster risk reduction initiatives (the case of Katlehong township), Nkombi and Wentink (2022) deduced that whereas public participation in disaster risk reduction is crucial, it is often underutilized in many South African communities. Residents are encouraged to be actively involved in community efforts by playing some active roles as community members. This may include menial actions such as soliciting information in local forums and their various operations, participating in regular community meetings, associating oneself with existing community and local government structures. These actions only require one to leverage low-cost communication technologies, such as mobile phones and social media, to gain and disseminate information and coordinate responses during emergencies. SA Weather Service keeps the public informed about early warnings and advisories on weather forecasts. 

Figure 2: A roof downpipe pouring rainwater.

Role of Households

Households play a crucial role in community-led climate adaptation and mitigation efforts. Their contributions can significantly enhance community resilience and complement government initiatives. Informal households are often the most vulnerable to climate impacts but happen to possess valuable local knowledge and resilience strategies, requiring tailored solutions. But unfortunately, most governments do not collect data on informal settlements or their inhabitants.

Most informal settlements lack piped water or adequate provision for sanitation, drainage, and public services. Households can make incremental investments in rainwater harvesting (RWH). Rainwater harvesting refers to the collection of rainwater for residential, industrial or commercial use. It can be used for irrigation, in the washing machine and to drink when filtrated properly. RWH can also be the solution to food security by increasing water productivity of dry land agriculture and enabling homestead gardening. Although used for decades in South Africa, Kahinda and Taigbenu (2011) observed that rainwater harvesting (RWH) is still far from being utilised to its full potential as unresolved challenges prevent its wide scale adoption.

Rainwater harvesting is a great source for back-up water in times of need, especially when there are water outages due to burst pipes or routine maintenance and upgrades. Rainwater is free, so if collected and harvested correctly, one might be able to take household water supply off-grid and save some money with ever-increasing municipal rates.

Moreover, retrofitting informal houses can enhance energy efficiency, reduce waste, and conserve water if it utilises several practical strategies. Beyond participating in community-led initiatives that foster practices of climate mitigation, households can be more intentional about reducing waste by implementing community-led recycling programs which can help reduce waste. Informal houses can further be retrofitted by implementing cost-effective solutions and construction methods such as using local materials and labour, green infrastructure, using renewable energy sources and flood-resistant materials to protect against rising water levels. These are just but some of the actions to make retrofitting more accessible to informal settlements.

Conclusion

Community based Adaptation is about empowering vulnerable communities and their local governments to understand and analyse how the climate is and will continue to impact on their lives. Informal settlements like Winnie Mandela face significant challenges due to inadequate infrastructure and poor planning, making them highly vulnerable to climate-related hazards such as flooding.

The information in this article is evidence-based and contains actionable recommendations, informed by domestic research and localized insights. It is hoped that this can contribute to strengthening the resilience and adaptive capacities of the poor and marginalized people in informal settlements.

While community action is vital, climate-resilient development requires a broader, multi-level approach involving local, regional, and national stakeholders. But a wider approach is required, in which local, regional, and national level actors working together to support community decision making and action in adapting to climate change and building resilience. The guidelines contained herein emphasise the importance of proactive measures to reduce vulnerability during emergencies and before emergencies occur. 

Written By: Kopano Ntsoane

Edited By: Nhlanhla Moshomo