Sustainable spatial transformation and urban environmental management: Case study of the Jukskei River - Alexandra, Johannesburg, South Africa

Urban natural environments have been altered by human beings to meet their needs, and rivers are no exception. In the cities of the Global South, migration-led urbanization has exerted rapid pressure on the infrastructure, often exceeding the rate of service delivery and housing provision. Due to inadequate housing, the Jukskei river in Johannesburg has been altered by humans so that its banks are now serving as human informal settlements. This chapter presents research on the current situation in the Jukskei River and its banks in the city using the primary source of information which includes community surveys and observation, as well as secondary data to gather more relevant information. The findings indicate that the river has lost considerable vegetation cover over time on its banks, and they are now characterized by squatter camps, litter, and grey water. The human impacts have made the river to be classified under Class-E since the river has been altered and mostly characterized by human activities that made it to be far from its natural state. A Class-E River is a severely polluted river. Furthermore, for rescuing the Jukskei River and its surrounding environment, remediation through use of smart eco-technology approaches has been recommended.