UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA (UNISA)
College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences
⋄
WRM3701 ASSIGNMENT 01
Semester 1 Assignment 01 — 2026
⋄
Module Code: WRM3701
Module Name: Water Resource Management
Assignment No.: Assignment 01
Due Date: 2026
Semester: Semester 1, 2026
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for Water Resource Management
at the University of South Africa.
, UNISA | WRM3701 Water Resource Management Assignment 01
Question 1: UMngeni River Catchment — Flood Risk vs. Drought Risk Management
1.1 Critical View: Prioritising Drought Risk Management for Long-term Water Security
The uMngeni River Catchment in KwaZulu-Natal supplies potable water to both Pietermar-
itzburg and eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, serving millions of people in one of South
Africa’s most economically active regions. Given this dual burden, choosing between flood
risk and drought risk management is not a straightforward engineering decision; it is a ques-
tion of which threat poses the greater long-term consequence to water security and human
survival.
My critical view is that the water resource management of the uMngeni Catchment should
prioritise drought risk management to ensure long-term water security and sustainability. The
reasoning is grounded in two key realities. First, South Africa is classified as a semi-arid coun-
try where surface water sources are already close to full utilisation (Jewitt et al., 2018). The
2016 and 2017 severe drought seasons demonstrated how rapidly reservoir storage levels can
collapse under sustained low-rainfall conditions, threatening municipal supply for extended
periods. Flood events, while destructive, are episodic and their infrastructure damage can be
repaired over a shorter time horizon.
Second, research published in the Water Policy journal shows that the uMngeni Catchment
faces chronic institutional and ecological degradation, with 36% of the catchment having
already lost watershed service potential (Awuah et al., 2023). This structural erosion of the
catchment’s ability to generate reliable streamflow is a drought-amplifying condition that no
amount of flood protection infrastructure can address. Sustainable drought management
requires investments in ecological infrastructure, catchment restoration, and demand-side
water conservation, all of which also reduce long-term flood severity by improving infiltration
and soil water retention.
Flood mitigation remains important; levees, retention ponds, and floodplain zoning should
be maintained. The argument, however, is that drought poses the greater systemic threat
to water security in the uMngeni Catchment context, and managing it effectively produces
co-benefits for flood resilience over time (Awuah et al., 2023; Jewitt et al., 2018).
Page 1 of 14
College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences
⋄
WRM3701 ASSIGNMENT 01
Semester 1 Assignment 01 — 2026
⋄
Module Code: WRM3701
Module Name: Water Resource Management
Assignment No.: Assignment 01
Due Date: 2026
Semester: Semester 1, 2026
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for Water Resource Management
at the University of South Africa.
, UNISA | WRM3701 Water Resource Management Assignment 01
Question 1: UMngeni River Catchment — Flood Risk vs. Drought Risk Management
1.1 Critical View: Prioritising Drought Risk Management for Long-term Water Security
The uMngeni River Catchment in KwaZulu-Natal supplies potable water to both Pietermar-
itzburg and eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, serving millions of people in one of South
Africa’s most economically active regions. Given this dual burden, choosing between flood
risk and drought risk management is not a straightforward engineering decision; it is a ques-
tion of which threat poses the greater long-term consequence to water security and human
survival.
My critical view is that the water resource management of the uMngeni Catchment should
prioritise drought risk management to ensure long-term water security and sustainability. The
reasoning is grounded in two key realities. First, South Africa is classified as a semi-arid coun-
try where surface water sources are already close to full utilisation (Jewitt et al., 2018). The
2016 and 2017 severe drought seasons demonstrated how rapidly reservoir storage levels can
collapse under sustained low-rainfall conditions, threatening municipal supply for extended
periods. Flood events, while destructive, are episodic and their infrastructure damage can be
repaired over a shorter time horizon.
Second, research published in the Water Policy journal shows that the uMngeni Catchment
faces chronic institutional and ecological degradation, with 36% of the catchment having
already lost watershed service potential (Awuah et al., 2023). This structural erosion of the
catchment’s ability to generate reliable streamflow is a drought-amplifying condition that no
amount of flood protection infrastructure can address. Sustainable drought management
requires investments in ecological infrastructure, catchment restoration, and demand-side
water conservation, all of which also reduce long-term flood severity by improving infiltration
and soil water retention.
Flood mitigation remains important; levees, retention ponds, and floodplain zoning should
be maintained. The argument, however, is that drought poses the greater systemic threat
to water security in the uMngeni Catchment context, and managing it effectively produces
co-benefits for flood resilience over time (Awuah et al., 2023; Jewitt et al., 2018).
Page 1 of 14
