Report of the Community Risk Assessment Workshop for TR-Section in Site B – Khayelitsha 29th August – 1st September 2006

Section A: Introduction to the Community Risk Assessment Workshop

1.1 Background to the Community Risk Assessment Workshop for TR-Section

On the 29th August – 1st September 2006, a four-day Workshop on Community Risk

Assessment (CRA) was held at TR-Section, Site B, Khayelitsha. This was hosted by the

Disaster Mitigation for Sustainable Livelihoods Programme (DiMP), located in the University of

Cape Town. The workshop was attended by 10 participants, all community members with one

representative from the Environmental Health Department. This report was compiled following

the proceedings of the CRA Workshop.

See Methodology section above for more information.

Section B: Workshop Outputs

2.1 Priority Risks

During the introduction to concepts and methods, the participants were asked to do a hazard

prioritization exercise. This involved voting for the hazards that pose the greatest risk to the

community. Environmental Health related hazards (23 votes); Flooding (11) and Fires (10)

were identified as the three priority risks for TR section. Environmental health related hazards,

however, were clearly considered to be the most significant. It was noted however by the

participants that although this was the case, fires were a severe hazard but as the CRA was

undertaken in winter this was further from their minds.

Using these three priority risks, workshop participants were divided into groups that each

focused on one priority risk throughout the workshop using the methods outlined above. At the

end of the workshop groups used the materials from the 4 day workshop, as well as

photographs taken during the transect walk, to present back on their priority risk and answer

the six guiding questions. The following sections are a summary of the final presentations from

the fires, flooding and health groups.

It should be noted that TRA, B and C experienced similar risks but sometimes as a result of

differing vulnerabilities as well as differing hazard exposures.

2.2 Environmental Health

2.2.1 What is the outcome?

When participants where asked what the poor environmental conditions were, they mentioned

the following: dirty standing water, grey water, soil pollution – litter and human faeces, dirty

damp places, and unhealthy house environments.

The outcomes of the above conditions were seen to be pest infestation – rats, flies, mosquito

and fleas as well as optimal conditions for germ breeding.

2

Diarrhoea, cholera, skin rashes and asthma were seen as direct outcomes of a combination of

the pre-mentioned factors or were exacerbated by the above factors.

2.2.2 Who is at risk and why?

All residents:

· Lack of services – especially toilets, taps and drainage

· Poor relationships – for example residents would dump their waste around each

others houses

· Use of flame/paraffin stoves and traditional heaters – imbawula

More specifically the following ‘groups’ were identified as being more at risk from poor

environmental health:

Children:

· Play in standing water, crawling babies ‘eat’ dirt, also small children were identified as

having weaker immune systems.

· Bottle fed babies – water to mix formula is dirty. It was mentioned that this was

sometimes as a result of water containers not being covered

· Small children have poorer hygiene habits

Old people:

· Lack of access to resources: especially ‘healthy’ land (often cannot negotiate access

to this) and nutritious food

People living in TRC – Section

· Wetland area

· Residents far away from taps, toilets and black bag collection point

· Area overcrowded – concentration of waste, especially in free spaces and along the

wall (western side)

· Dumping along the railway line

2.2.3 What is increasing risk?

· Poor Services

· Blocked and broken drains

· No drainage

· Not enough collection points

· No public bins

· Not enough and poorly maintained toilets

· People don’t cover their water containers – Xhosa tradition

· Unregulated slaughtering and selling of meat

o Open meat selling attracts flies

o Consumption can cause diarrhoea

3

· People don’t respect each other

· Lack of respect for the environment – Litter

· Not enough land for the growing population

· Homes are poorly designed – little ventilation bad foundation (water can enter)

· Not enough money for good building materials (me)

· Lack of education with respects to personal hygiene

2.2.4When are they most at risk?

Refer to Appendix A.

Winter:

· More standing water

· More smoke in dwellings – more cooking on flame stoves and the use of imbawula’s

· More mosquito’s as a result of standing water

· Asthma aggravated by smoke in homes and cold wet conditions

· Tuberculosis aggravated by smoke in homes and the cold wet conditions

Summer:

· Much standing green water

· Flies more prevalent

· Diarrhoea as a result of warm stagnant water and flies. The constant hot environment

inside zinc homes as well as outside the homes – due to the lack of shade in the area

– contribute to diarrhoea, especially in children

· Skin rashes as a result of the standing water

· Cholera (used interchangeably with diarrhoea by participants)

All year:

· Green dirty standing water

· Soil pollution (litter and human faeces)

· Air pollution in homes

· Asthma, TB HIV/AIDS

· Skin rashes

2.2.5 How do they manage the risk?

· In TRA section – communication between residents lessens the chance of poor

environmental health. As dumping household waste/grey water etc in front of each

others homes is not tolerated. Similarly, people from outside TRA are not allowed to

dump their waste there.

· For burns residents use Colgate toothpaste, sunlight liquid or go to the clinic for

treatment (in the case of a very bad burn)

· Residents keep warm in winter by using an imbawula

· Dump waste far away from their homes

· People use the toilet far away from their homes

· Participants mentioned that residents make use of a variety of social support structures

(refer to Appendix c).

4

2.3 Flooding

2.3.1 What is the outcome of too much rain?

When it rains in the area, residents mentioned that the streets get unduly wet due to lack of

drainage. This runoff then flows into the dwellings. As a result of the runoff as well as the rain

there is damage to property (the dwelling). Where heavy winds are present this further

compounds the problem.

Possessions in the home are also damaged, more importantly these include: bedding, clothes,

furniture, food, school books and ID books.

As a result of the above damage and loss, the residents’ lose days at work and the children

fail in school or get punished because the school books are wet.

Residents also mentioned getting sick where the following illnesses where identified as more

common: flu, asthma, cholera, chest infections and suffer from skin rashes.

Participants also mentioned that they cannot (or with difficulty) replace the things that they

lose in these events as they are unemployed.

On an emotional level they said they felt angry and ashamed of their circumstances. They also

felt uncomfortable, as they often would have to wear wet cold clothes for a while after the

event, usually in winter, which lead to them feeling unconfident.

2.3.2 Who is being flooded and why?

· The people who live in TRC section are mostly affected as this area is mostly in the

waterlogged part of the wetland. Many people settle there as there are no more safe

spaces left in TR C.

· The people who have lazy husbands. Participants mentioned that these husbands are

those who do not go out and ask about building methods and/or take time to fix/ repair

the dwelling and/or spend money on drinks.

· The people who have no choice and settle on lower lying land i.e. the ones that do not

have money. There is also a lack of space in TR section- so many newcomers have no

choice but to settle there.

· The people who do not listen to the advice of others and build in inadequate ways or

settle in areas which are at risk of being flooded. It was mentioned by participants that

‘new comers’ do not trust the advice of the residents due to ownership issues: new

comers do not feel they should listen to people, who just like themselves, do not own

the land. Participants mentioned also that ‘new comers’ think that residents may try to

sabotage them and so do not listen to them.

2.3.3 What is increasing the risk of flooding?

· The drain that leads out of TRB section and into TRC section.

· Dumping of Waste

· The absence of money to buy good – rainproof, wind proof, not highly flammable –

building material.

· The lack of knowledge of areas that flood and building methods.

· Overcrowding – high density dwellings prevent the development well designed, as well

as hand-dug informal drains. This results in water pooling between homes and draining

into homes.

· The fact that TRC section is on Private land prevents the area from being serviced.

· The area is naturally wet.

5

2.3.4 When is there a greater risk of Flooding?

In general, whenever it rains the area can become flooded, more specifically in winter.

2.3.5 How do residents manage the risk?

Some residents raise their floors as well as the foundations of their dwellings and are less

likely of having water pool in their homes. The use of zinc on the sides of raised foundations

also pushes water away from the foundation.

Some residents use zinc on their doors, to prevent water from entering. Participants also

mentioned that some residents use cement or tiles to prevent their floors from getting wet. In

winter many residents mentioned that water comes up from the floor, this is as a result of the

water table rising during winter. Plastic on the floors of dwellings is also used in this regard.

It was noted that residents without a lot of money could not employ the above techniques.

When asked why resident do not use the sand that was so abundant in the area to raise their

floor, it was found that this ‘opens water’ to others in the area. Residents could therefore not

take sand from areas close to houses.

Some residents dug their own make-shift ‘drains’. Many residents could not do this, especially

in TR C. This was because this opened space would just pool water.

Participants mentioned that residents make use of a variety of social support structures (refer

to Appendix c).

2.4 Fires

2.4.1 What is the outcome of the risk?

· Air pollution

· Loss of property

· Loss of income

· Sickness

· Blame each other (broken relationships)

· Stealing

· Trauma

· Death

· Survivors/orphans

2.4.2 Who is at risk and why?

Everyone in the settlement is at risk of fires. This is as a result of the use of paraffin/flame

stoves, candles, gas and/or imbawula’s (self-made heaters). Many dwellings are made

from a combination of wood, plastic and zinc (corrugated iron). While some residents may

not use the above energy sources or live in dwellings made in highly flammable material

they are in danger because they live next to residents who do use these. Building

materials and in house materials (e.g. plastic), in conjunction with the small spaces in

dwellings also put people at risk.

6

Residents who have old cars parked in between dwellings are at risk of being highly

effected during a fire event due to the ignition of unused petrol.

It is also important to note that residents in TR A, B and C are at risk of fires but for slightly

different reasons. Overcrowding together with the legal and illegal electricity wires put

residents in all subsections of TR at risk of fires. Although this is the case TR A and B are

more overcrowded, meaning that the number of fire incidents is high and because

dwellings are close together fire can move rapidly. The large number of low hanging Illegal

electricity wires compounds this problem. TR A however although being less overcrowded

also experiences fires and this, according to the participants is a result of residents who

still use flame stoves between those who use two plate electric stoves. It was mentioned

by participants that this is worsened by the electricity wires that ‘spread’ fires.

Children are more at risk as they sometimes play with fire. Elderly people and children

were mentioned as being more vulnerable to the effects of fires and could not escape

easily in the event of one.

The lack of space in smaller shacks also means that fires can be caused easily and be

more difficult to put out – especially when highly flammable materials such as plastic are

present.

Participants also mentioned that careless people are more likely to cause fires, especially

those who cook while drunk.

2.4.3 What is increasing the risk?

· The high level of drunkenness in summer

· Drinking alcohol till very late at night and cooking when drunk

· Jealousy between residents which may result in arson

· Residents leaving for summer holidays. Fires that start in December are likely to

spread quickly as there is less manpower available to put it out or demolish dwellings.

· In winter people use flame stoves and imbawula’s

· Lack of communication between community and fire services

· Increasing density of the houses (uxinano)

· Lack of fire hydrants

· Lack of proper streets

· Litter which acts a fuel

2.4.4 When are they most at risk?

· Weekends – at night and early morning (drunken residents falling asleep while

cooking). Added to this most residents are sleeping at this time and reaction to an

incident is slower.

· Summer holiday parties – more drinking (see above)

· Winter – people use heaters (formal and informal)

· Windy Months – causing fires to spread more rapidly

· Refer to Appendix B showing the average fire incidents per year 2000 – 2004 and

seasonality of fire in TR section.

2.4.5 How do they manage the risk?

Participants mentioned that some residents maintain spaces between dwellings. This cannot

be employed throughout the settlement, for example Tr a residents can do this but those in TR

c would find it more difficult. This is as a result of a more united community in TR a, these

7

residents have good communication and mostly sort out issues as soon as they see they see

fit.

During an incident residents use sand, water from the wetland, water with washing powder, or

plain water to douse the fire. During a fire houses around the burning dwelling/s are

demolished.

When burnt residents use eggs, toothpaste, sunlight and cold water.

Participants mentioned that residents make use of a variety of social support structures (refer

to Appendix c).

2.5 Other Issues Arising

Not all issues bought up doing the CRA could be investigated. This included the following:

· Residents mentioned that areas that were not affected by the fire were affected

(dwellings damaged, belongings wet, etc) by the helicopter water bombs.

· Early morning crime (often people will just break down the door)

· Making use of the skills of domestic workers to teach other residents housekeeping

techniques

still use flame stoves between those who use two plate electric stoves. It was mentioned

by participants that this is worsened by the electricity wires that ‘spread’ fires.

Children are more at risk as they sometimes play with fire. Elderly people and children

were mentioned as being more vulnerable to the effects of fires and could not escape

easily in the event of one.

The lack of space in smaller shacks also means that fires can be caused easily and be

more difficult to put out – especially when highly flammable materials such as plastic are

present.

Participants also mentioned that careless people are more likely to cause fires, especially

those who cook while drunk.

2.4.3 What is increasing the risk?

· The high level of drunkenness in summer

· Drinking alcohol till very late at night and cooking when drunk

· Jealousy between residents which may result in arson

· Residents leaving for summer holidays. Fires that start in December are likely to

spread quickly as there is less manpower available to put it out or demolish dwellings.

· In winter people use flame stoves and imbawula’s

· Lack of communication between community and fire services

· Increasing density of the houses (uxinano)

· Lack of fire hydrants

· Lack of proper streets

· Litter which acts a fuel

2.4.4 When are they most at risk?

· Weekends – at night and early morning (drunken residents falling asleep while

cooking). Added to this most residents are sleeping at this time and reaction to an

incident is slower.

· Summer holiday parties – more drinking (see above)

· Winter – people use heaters (formal and informal)

· Windy Months – causing fires to spread more rapidly

· Refer to Appendix B showing the average fire incidents per year 2000 – 2004 and

seasonality of fire in TR section.

2.4.5 How do they manage the risk?

Participants mentioned that some residents maintain spaces between dwellings. This cannot

be employed throughout the settlement, for example Tr a residents can do this but those in TR

c would find it more difficult. This is as a result of a more united community in TR a, these

7

residents have good communication and mostly sort out issues as soon as they see they see

fit.

During an incident residents use sand, water from the wetland, water with washing powder, or

plain water to douse the fire. During a fire houses around the burning dwelling/s are

demolished.

When burnt residents use eggs, toothpaste, sunlight and cold water.

Participants mentioned that residents make use of a variety of social support structures (refer

to Appendix c).

2.5 Other Issues Arising

Not all issues bought up doing the CRA could be investigated. This included the following:

· Residents mentioned that areas that were not affected by the fire were affected

(dwellings damaged, belongings wet, etc) by the helicopter water bombs.

· Early morning crime (often people will just break down the door)

· Making use of the skills of domestic workers to teach other residents housekeeping

Techniques

for detailed report please visit: capegateway.gov.za/Text/2008/3/report_of_the_community_risk_assessment_workshop_for_khayelitsha.pdfetailed report please visit