Creation of an interim environmental management department to undertake the metropolitan environmental management function

To date the environmental policy and institutional proposals of the Durban Metropolitan Environmental Policy Initiative (DMEPI) process have been accepted and approved by the North Central, South Central, Outer West, and South Local Councils and the Durban Metropolitan Councils and have been submitted to the remaining local councils: North and Inner West for similar approval. On the basis of the approvals received and the additional funds made available by the Metropolitan Council, the process of creating an interim Environmental Management Department within the Development and Planning Service Unit of the North and South Central Councils to undertake the metropolitan environmental management function on an agency basis has been initiated. This interim department will remain in place until the restructuring to create the Unicity (following future local government elections) has occurred. It is suggested (in terms of the DMEPI proposals) that the Unicity restructuring should include the formation of a fully fledged and resourced Environmental Management Department as part of an urban management cluster at the metropolitan level.

Once these new institutional structures are in place, additional issues which must be addressed in subsequent phases of the Local Agenda 21 programme in order to ensure the implementation of an effective environmental management system include inter alia: