Tackling Lower Salt River Pollution and Flooding

The City of Cape Town’s Water and Sanitation Directorate is pleased to announce the establishment of the Lower Salt River Catchment Management Forum (LSR-CMF). This newly formed, multi-stakeholder platform will work collaboratively to find sustainable solutions to reduce pollution and flooding across key parts of the catchment including Thornton, Maitland, Pinelands, Athlone, Mowbray, Observatory and Paarden Eiland.

The LSR-CMF is the seventh catchment management forum operating within the city. It was formally established during its inaugural meeting on Tuesday, 13 May 2025, held at the Council Chambers in Wale Street, Cape Town.

The LSR-CMF will focus on promoting community engagement to improve environmental water quality and river conditions. A key objective is to find solutions to reduce the volume of urban pollution ending up in the city’s water bodies and to support flood-alleviation measures.

The inaugural meeting saw robust participation from community members and other stakeholders. This enabled the election of the forum’s executive committee. Roland Postma was elected as Chairperson and Jessleena Suri as Vice-Chairperson, both of whom are affiliated with Friends of the Liesbeek.

‘I look forward to inviting Roland, Jessleena and the rest of the forum members to join me and City officials on a river walk. This will give us an opportunity to engage directly with the challenges on the ground. The establishment of this forum marks a significant milestone in our ongoing commitment to preserve and enhance Cape Town’s watercourses,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation, Councillor Zahid Badroodien.

Last year, the directorate compiled a comprehensive Pollution Abatement Strategy and Action Plan (PASAP). It provides an overview of the entire Salt River catchment and the ambient water quality of its waterways, identifies the main pollution sources, and provides a strategic approach and action plan to address pollution.

The main drivers of pollution to the Salt River particularly, the Lower Salt catchment, are: wastewater treatment, littering and dumping, sewer pump stations and informal settlements.

About the Salt River catchment

The Salt River catchment is one of Cape Town’s three largest catchments, covering an area of 214km². It is almost entirely urbanised and includes several rivers and tributaries, from the Liesbeek to the Vygekraal. The quality of these watercourses are influenced by residential development, treated effluent discharges, stormwater drains and canalised sections.

Due to the size and complexity of the Salt River catchment, the City’s Catchment, Stormwater and River Management (CSRM) Branch divided the catchment into three smaller sub-catchments, which consists of the Lower Salt River catchment, Jakkelsvlei catchment and Vygekraal catchment forum areas.