Understanding the impact of policy adherence and implementation on streams in the Umlazi River System

Although the national policy landscape is saturated with environmental and surface water management policies, there is limited evidence of successful policy implementation at a local level. This lack of policy adherence can have many economic, environmental, and public health effects in an area hence measure to improve adherence and implementation are essential. This study, therefore, looked at the lack of stream policy adherence and implementation by the government at Umlazi Township, which is the second biggest township in South Africa, with a population reported to be about half a million people. The study integrated three approaches: the Health Belief Model (HBM), Adaptive River Management, and Social-Ecological Model (SEM) to evaluate the scientific knowledge regarding river status, and uncertainty levels and finally evaluate the impact of policy implementation and evaluation on surface water quality management in the Umlazi area. Data was collected from local municipality workers and Sihlanzimvelo Initiative workers, as these two groups are primarily responsible for stream water management in the Umlazi Local. The data were thematically analyzed and revealed three main factors that contribute to the lack of policy adherence and implementation: citizens are not knowledgeable about on-stream management policy standards; policies on stream management are not implemented and enforced; and lastly, implementation and enforcement of these policies are perceived as difficult. Citizen environmental education and stream worker capacity building appear to be key in improving policy adherence and implementation in Umlazi streams.