Environmental Sustainability of Construction Practices used in Informal Settlements : a Case of Swaziland

Abstract

The demand for basic housing and service provision as a result of residents migrating to cities has given rise to informal settlements worldwide which are regarded as being formed and occupied by the poor (Bredenoord 2016, Nassar & Elsayed 2017). Construction practices used in these informal settlements, which can be best described as self-help housing, are believed to have an impact on the natural environment. This impact on the natural environment is observed in the atmosphere, land and water. Construction practices “adversely affect the environment through the over-use of non-renewable resources” (Nair 2005:4430). This study identifies the problem of the absence of control mechanisms in these construction practices in informal settlements which is claimed to have an effect on the degrading environment.

Swaziland, one of the developing countries in Southern Africa, faces the same challenge of the development of informal settlements in which the construction practices used affect the natural environment. This paper details the findings of a study conducted on three purposely selected informal settlements (Msunduza, Mahwalala and Nkwalini) in Mbabane, which were upgraded through the Urban Development Programme, to identify the construction practices used in the informal settlements, and further evaluate their effects on the natural environment. The research is aimed at determining the effects of construction practices used in informal settlements on the natural environment and further propose a possible solution to this challenge.

The three major components of this study are literature review, situational analysis and research output. Literature review was used to gather already existing information on the identified problem in order to understand the problem and further evaluate the sustainability of the identified construction practices. Sustainable and regenerative development was viewed as a solution to the environmental challenges. The situational analysis consisted of a survey where construction practices in the informal settlements were observed through a structured checklist. The study demonstrated through qualitative analysis how the construction practices used in the informal settlements affect the environment and the study results and literature review was used to develop a framework (research output) which is believed to be a solution to the challenges witnessed in the informal settlements.