1. Local Government Climate Change Support Program 2016
Draft Vhembe DM Climate Change Response Plan

2. Presentation Contents
Climate change plan development
Activities to date
Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment Results
Draft Climate Change Response Actions

3. Climate Change Plan Development
Developed through the Local Government Climate Change Support Program (LGCCS)
First Step - Conducting a climate change vulnerability assessment
Second Step - Developing climate change responses
Draft plan in place for review

4. Progress to date Toolkit development
District level vulnerability assessments 18 May 2016
Draft municipal Climate Change Response Plans

5. Agriculture

6. Priority Indicators: Agriculture
Theme
Indicator Title
Agriculture
Change in grain (maize, wheat & barley) production

7. Responses: Agriculture
Sub-Project: Managing the change in grain (maize, wheat & barley) production
Research and improve understanding of CC impacts on grain production
Research and improve understanding of grain production
Conduct research on alternative agricultural production that can be implemented
Promote knowledge generation, knowledge sharing and stakeholder participation
Implement evidence based monitoring initiatives that feed into management systems
Identify climate resilient land-uses that will support the agricultural industry’s efforts to exploit new agricultural opportunities

8. Biodiversity and Environment

9. Priority Indicators: Biodiversity and Environment
Theme
Indicator Title
Biodiversity & Environment
Health impacts from increased storm events
Increased heat stress

10. Responses: Biodiversity and Environment
Sub-Project: Managing the health impacts from increased storm events
Conduct an impact assessment of increased storm events on health
Identify communities that are vulnerable to impacts of increased storm events
Conduct workshops that advise communities on how to reduce the risk
Establish adequate stockpiles of medications, medical supplies and other resources
Commission a reliable early warning system to alert communities and industries
Implement effective disaster management systems that will respond to the impacts of increased storm events

11. Responses: Biodiversity and Environment
Sub-Project: Managing the increased heat stress
Identify communities that have the least capacity to respond to increased temperatures
Conduct awareness campaigns on the health risks of high temperatures
Commission a reliable early warning system to alert communities and industries
Introduce, enhance and integrate surveillance systems to monitor changes in climate and climate-related diseases
Develop a health data-capturing system that records data both at spatial and temporal scales

12. Human Health

13. Priority Indicators: Human Health
Theme
Indicator Title
Human Health
Increased water borne and communicable diseases
Increased Occupational Health problems

14. Responses: Human Health
Sub-Project: Managing the Increased water borne and communicable diseases
Strengthen information and knowledge of linkages between disease and CC through research
Identify communities that are vulnerable to the spread of waterborne and communicable diseases
Create awareness programmes on water borne and communicable diseases
Develop mechanisms that will enable vulnerable communities to respond to the spread of waterborne and communicable diseases
Establish adequate stockpiles of medications, medical supplies, assistive devices and other resources

15. Responses: Human Health
Sub-Project: Managing the increased Occupational health problems
Conduct CC impact assessment on occupational health
Identify and profile the groups that are most vulnerable to heat stress and dehydration
Conduct awareness campaigns on the health risks of high temperatures in the workplace
Commission a reliable early warning system that will alert industries and businesses on extreme weather events

16. Human Settlements

17. Priority Indicators: Human Settlements
Theme
Indicator Title
Human Settlements
Increased migration to urban and peri-urban areas

18. Responses: Human Settlement
Sub-Project: Managing the increased migration to urban and peri-urban areas
Assess drivers and dynamics of migration
Identify alternative basic service provision options for rural areas, such as water tanks, new sanitation services, etc
Develop and implement rural development programs to create economic opportunities
Promote behavioural change within communities that will contribute towards the building of economic nodes

19. Water

20. Priority Indicators: Water
Theme
Indicator Title
Water
Decreased water quality in ecosystem
Less water available for irrigation and drinking
Increased impacts of flooding from litter blocking sewer system

21. Responses: Water
Sub-Project: Managing the decreased water quality in ecosystem
Research and improve understanding of CC impacts on water quality
Conduct a CC impact assessment on health risks to aquatic systems
Strengthen management plans on wastewater treatment
Adopt and enforce simple, innovative, adaptive engineering approaches wastewater treatment initiatives
Identify and implement wastewater monitoring initiatives that will indicate risks to aquatic systems
Create an awareness on the reuse of wastewater thus minimising negative impacts of wastewater on aquatic systems
Protect and rehabilitate aquatic systems

22. Responses: Water
Sub-Project: Managing the Less water available for irrigation and drinking
Research and improve understanding of CC impacts on water quality
Incorporate projected CC impacts into the planning of municipal water supply
Identify and implement innovative water harvesting and savings initiatives
Promote knowledge generation, knowledge sharing and stakeholder participation
Collect information on indigenous knowledge which will contribute towards building resilience
Plan for projected increases in drought cycles as a result of CC
Implement watershed management that responds to reduced water availability

23. Responses: Water
Sub-Project: Managing the increased impacts of flooding from litter blocking sewer system
Conduct an impact assessment of CC induced litter and debris
Retrofit and modify existing water and sanitation using adaptive engineering approaches
Build CC resilient drainage infrastructure t
Commission a risk-averse approach to water quality protection by imposing stringent controls on water polluting land uses
Incorporate the possibility of extreme water-related CC events into the planning of the provision of basic services
Develop a flooding early warning and response system

24. Local Government Climate Change Support Program 2016
Draft Vhembe DM Climate Change Response Plan