To achieve tangible results the challenges identified have been targeted from a local level perspective with partners who are able and willing to cooperate.

The designated local Blue Deal projects for the period 2019 – 2022 are:

1. Crocodile River: Combating pollution

Inkomati-Usuthu:
The Crocodile River faces threats of pollution by agriculture, industry and municipalities. The performance of the wastewater treatment plants in the area is insufficient. The challenge to address is to improve the operation of the municipal wastewater management systems to ensure a better quality of the river. The outcome of the project is an improvement of the Crocodile River so the 1.45 million people around the river will benefit from cleaner and more usable water.

Click here for a short video impression of the project.

Click here for a description of the project.

2. Vredefort Dome: Improvement of water quality of the Vaal River

Upper-Vaal:
The goal of the project is improving the water quality of the Vaal River in the UNESCO Vredefort Dome Heritage Site (resulting from the impact of a large meteorite 4 million years ago) and optimisation of the Parys Wastewater Treatment plant. At present this plant is heavily overloaded and is charged with industrial waste water without a proper pre-treatment. The outcome of this project will be that 50 000 people in the Parys area will have an improved water quality of the Vaal River. The downstream population will also benefit from the improved quality of the Vaal as a reliable source for the water services.

Click here for a short video impression of the project.

Click here for a description of the project.

3. Blesbokspruit Ramsar Site Rehabilitation

Upper-Vaal:
The habitat of over 250 different bird species in the Blesbokspruit wetland is endangered due to the impact of invasive species, Acid Mine Drainage and poorly operated and maintained Wastewater Treatment Plants, sewer reticulation and storm water system. The main object of the project is restoring the natural environment. The outcome of this project is an improvement of the water quality for Ekurhuleni with a population of 3.4 million people.

Click here for a short video impression of the project.

Click here for a description of the project.

4. Msunduzi River: Improvement of water quality

Pongola-Mzimkulu:
The Msunduzi River is an important source for the densely populated and industrial area of KwaZulu-Natal around Pietermaritzburg and Durban. The water quality of the river is momentarily very poor. The project aims to align the different activities to improve the water quality across the institutional boundaries of different governmental and non-governmental organizations, industries and commercial enterprises. The outcome of this project will be that the water quality and usability of the Msunduzi River will be improved for the 1.1 million people around the river (and the 3.4 million people in the downstream area of eThekwini).

Click here for a short video impression of the project.

Click here for a description of the project.

5. Theewaterskloof

The Theewaterskloof catchment, with the important Theewaterskloof dam as, among other things, an important source for drinking water for the City of Cape Town, deals with pollution threat, emanating from the unplanned rapid growth of informal settlements. The objective of the Theewaterskloof project is to reduce the pollution by improving sanitation and solid waste management, with innovative solutions, like non-sewered sanitation and harnessing the circular economy.

In this project we focus on community based initiatives, as we see supporting community enrollment as the only sustainable way to success. The starting point of the project are the already existing, positive initiatives within the community, the Seedlings of Hope: Sakhokuhle ECD Center in Villiersdorp and Soulfood Community Organisation in Grabouw, in Theewaterkloof Municipality in the Western Cape.