GIBB PRESENTED BY: Karien Erasmus and Shantal Rampath IAIA SA 2014 CONFERENCE The Impact of Large Scale Water Infrastructure Development: Addressing Social Insecurity and Involuntary Resettlement through an Applicable Sustainability Model Incorporating Effective Community Participation
Date: 29 August 2014
Presenter introduction
This Paper is a joint effort by Mrs. Karien Erasmus and Ms. Shantal Rampath Brief Background on Team: Karien Erasmus is a sustainability consultant with nine years of experience. Her key experience includes sustainability planning, human settlement development and strategic development planning. Karien has worked on a number of high-profile projects, including the Kei Rail Economic Development Corridor, the Gauteng Spatial Development Framework Revision and the Gautrain Rapid Rail project. She spent a year in Nigeria working on the Port Harcourt New City Master Plan. In conjunction with Me. Rampath Karien prepared a best practice analysis and review of the resettlement projects for the Lesotho Millennium Development Agency. Shantal Rampath is a Sustainability Consultant with 8 months of experience in the environmental field. Shantal’s key experience lies with sustainability, sustainable strategy assessments and climate change related projects. Shantal has been instrumental in analysing and assessing a number of resettlement projects as part of the recent Lesotho Millennium Development Agency Best Practice assessment.
The context of water development
783 million people do not have access to clean and safe water. 37% of those people live in Sub-
Saharan Africa.
443 million school days are lost each year due to water-related diseases.
The United Nations estimates that Sub-Saharan Africa alone loses 40 billion hours per year
collecting water; the same as an entire year's labour in all of France!
In developing countries, as much as 80% of illnesses are linked to poor water and sanitation
conditions.
Water Social
Development
Dynamic interrelationship
Water infrastructure
Social sustainability
Subsequent vital need for
Presentation overview
The Topic presented will:
• Provide an overview of the strategic impacts of
large scale water infrastructure projects from a
social perspective;
• Discuss community participation framework
pertaining to large-scale infrastructure projects;
and
• Consider a framework to address resettlement
including pro-active grassroots community
participation.
Water infrastructure development:
pro’s and con’s • Water infrastructure projects play a major role in the
socio-economic transformation of many countries: • Poverty reduction;
• Addressing to some extent Millennium Development Goals;
• Irrigation;
• Tourism objectives related to water activities;
• Resource conservation; and finally
• Adaptation and climate change mitigation options.
• Increasing needs for the safeguarding of water, flood
control and livelihood support necessitate and increase
dams and water infrastructure requirements – concerns: • Endangered livelihoods and the impacts on subsistence
practices;
• Displacement of people – stripping people of their “sense of
place” ; and
• Major land use impacts – in terms of, for example, traditional land
rights and uses and sustainable service provision concerns.
Water Infrastructure development and
resettlement
• Design and management around water infrastructure have
not been optimized to minimize impacts on local
communities.
• In Africa alone: 400,000 people being affected by involuntary
resettlement through direct water infrastructure
developments.
• Impacts include:
• Destruction of natural habitats and settlements;
• Displacement and resettlement;
• Outbreak of diseases; and assess
• Social and cultural disturbances.
• Water infrastructure related projects should include
community participation from project conception through to
post project monitoring – enable adaptation.
Acknowledge Consider Address Assess
Community needs Project solutions
Pro-active participation Project sustainability
Community interaction Adaptation
Effective community participation
. EFFECTIVE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SEEKS TO ACHIEVE THE FOLLOWING DURING INVOLUNTARY
RESETTLEMENT
INFORM
Providing communities with
a balanced and objective
information to assist their
understanding of decision making
processes involving infrastructure development.
CONSULT
Consulting with communities and obtaining public
feedback decisions which can impact
them. Active involvement of
community in the decision making
process.
EMPOWER
Empowering local communities through skills development
programmes and benefit sharing
schemes as a result of water
infrastructure development.
INVOLVE
Involving local communities
throughout the development
process to ensure that any issues and concerns
raised.
Considering adaptive capacity in
resettlement
Availability of Assets and
natural Resources
Knowledge and Information
Supportive decision making
among governance
Innovation
Availability of natural
resources for local
communities to sustain
themselves and
allowing communities
to respond to change.
Allowing /providing
communities with the
knowledge and
information in support
of adaptation
activities.
The resettlement
process is able to
respond to changes
with regards to
governance structures
and future planning.
The resettlement
process is able to
create an enabling
environment for
affected communities
to explore solutions
to take advantage of
new opportunities.
Looking at resettlement from a sustainability
perspective
Impacts of resettlement
Value formation and
community development
efforts
Community entrepreneur
ship
Skills and capacity
development
Poverty reduction
Benefit sharing
Adopting a strategic approach.
Community consultation .
Capacity strengthening.
Community Participation
Positive Results of grassroots community
interaction
Awareness creation.
Further development.
Establishing demonstration effect.
Community building.
People become aware of their capacity to
change their situation and the resources they
have access to in this regard.
People experience development in positive
manner and in this regard has the confidence
to identify additional needs and to set out to
address these.
Successful projects address community
concerns and illustrate the effective results of
working together and focusing together.
Community development strengthens a
community.
Strengthening at both abstract and concrete
level.
Conclusion
• Involuntary resettlement does not have to become a negative
process.
• It can become an opportunity for community growth and
development.
• Resettlement is not only about moving people temporarily,
there are longer term impacts to the process.
• Communities have to establish themselves in the long term
and this framework aims to address those longer term needs.
• Development has to occur in a structured and well planned
manner to ensure positive end results.
• In this regard participation must be effectively integrated with
existing projects management tools and processes.
• Participation – grassroots community engagement.
CONTACT
KARIEN
ERASMUS
+ 27 (82) 905 2383
+ 27 (11) 519 4768 [email protected]
SHANTAL
RAMPATH
+ 27 (76) 318 9332
+ 27 (11) 519 4666 [email protected]
