The Grand Challengers Podcast Episode #31

Reflections, from a canoe chute and litter traps to Day Zero and South Africa’s Sustainable Drainage

Guest: Neil Armitage

August 13th, 2024

Episode Teaser

Introduction

“…ultimately, progress is only made if we actually work together, whether we like each other or not…”

Neil Armitage is an Emeritus Professor from the Faculty of Engineering and The Built Environment at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. Neil’s illustrious research career has seen him move from river hydraulics to stormwater management, which led to his instrumental role in enhancing South Africa’s knowledge and adoption of Sustainable Drainage Systems. He is passionate about ensuring that stormwater management practices target quantity, quality, amenity and biodiversity benefits, all while sharing his lifelong passion with students, family and the world.

On today’s show, Neil and I reflect upon his incredible journey from early engineering to river hydraulics, sanitation and how he became a champion for stormwater management across South Africa, especially with sustainable drainage systems (his preferred term). We hear his experience with Cape Town’s infamous Day Zero drought, discuss the principles of the engineering profession and look back upon Neil’s most important career lessons and his plans for the future.

Biography

Prof Neil Armitage is an accomplished consultant and academic with extensive experience in various water-related fields, including urban water supply, sanitation, drainage, river modeling, and coastal engineering across southern Africa. He has taught courses in hydraulics, hydrology, and urban water management at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. His leadership roles include serving as Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment and Head of the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Cape Town (UCT). He was also part of the Engineering Council of South Africa’s accreditation team for the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal.

Neil has made significant contributions to research, particularly in Integrated Urban Water Management (IUWM). He founded and directed UCT’s Integrated Urban Water Management research unit, which achieved milestones in urban drainage and sanitation management. He co-founded the Future Water Institute, focusing on water scarcity and sustainable development. His current research addresses obstacles to Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) in South Africa, with recent work including the publication of guidelines for permeable interlocking concrete pavements. Neil is a respected figure in the global water community, frequently invited to contribute to international projects, conferences, and publications.

Resources Related to the Episode

  • All about Cape Town and some travel tips
  • Berg River, Cape Town SA
  • History of Zimbabwe
  • Stellenbosch University Official Website
  • Prof. Mugsy Spiegel from the University of Cape Town’s Anthropology Department and some of his publications
  • Tanyanyiwa, C.T., Abrams, A.L., Carden, K., Armitage, N.P., Schneuwly, R., Mguni, P., Byskov Herslund, L. and Mclachlan, J., 2023. Managing stormwater in South African neighbourhoods: When engineers and scientists need social science skills to get their jobs done. AQUA—Water Infrastructure, Ecosystems and Society, 72(4), pp.456-464. [Link]
  • Two seminal reports that got Neil started in stormwater include:
    • Armitage, N., Rooseboom, A., Nel, C. & Townshend, P. (1998) The removal of urban litter from stormwater conduits and streams. WRC Report No TT 95-98 [Link]
    • Marais M. & Armitage N. (2003) The measurement and reduction of urban litter entering stormwater drainage systems. WRC TT 211/03 [Link]
  • Sustainable Drainage Systems Discussion
    • The Famous Terminology Paper that Neil refers to: Fletcher, T.D., Shuster, W., Hunt, W.F., Ashley, R., Butler, D., Arthur, S., Trowsdale, S., Barraud, S., Semadeni-Davies, A., Bertrand-Krajewski, J.L. Mikkelsen, P.S., Rivard, G., Uhl, M., Dagenais, D., and Viklander, M., 2015. SUDS, LID, BMPs, WSUD and more–The evolution and application of terminology surrounding urban drainage. Urban water journal, 12(7), pp.525-542. [Link]
    • The South African Guidelines for Sustainable Drainage Systems, the National Guidelines that Neil and his colleagues published [Link]
    • The Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) Framework and Guidance Manual for South Africa [Link]
    • Mclachlan, J., Tanyanyiwa, C.T., Schneuwly, R., Carden, K., Armitage, N.P., Abrams, A., Mguni, P. and Herslund, L.B., 2023. Pathways to water resilient South African cities–from mono-functional to multi-functional stormwater infrastructure. Scientific African, 20, p.e01674. [Link]
    • Mguni, P., Abrams, A., Herslund, L.B., Carden, K., Fell, J. and Armitage, N., 2022. Towards water resilience through Nature‐based Solutions in the Global South? Scoping the prevailing conditions for Water Sensitive Design in Cape Town and Johannesburg. Environmental Science & Policy, 136, pp.147-156. [Link]
  • The Cape Town Water Crisis:
  • John Okedi – Neil’s former PhD student and now Senior Lecturer at the University of Cape Town
  • Some of Neil’s work on Permeable Interlocking Concrete Pavements (PICPs)
    • The guidelines on the design, construction and maintenance of PICP
    • Brown, L.P. and Armitage, N.P., 2024. Evaluating the potential for denitrification in permeable interlocking concrete pavements. Water SA (Online), 50(3), pp.253-260. [Link]
    • Liu, B.K. and Armitage, N.P., 2020. The link between Permeable Interlocking Concrete Pavement (PICP) design and nutrient removal. Water, 12(6), p.1714. [Link]
  • The PC-SWMM Model [Official Website], based on the EPA Stormwater Management Model
  • Rules of Contract Bridge, the card game
  • Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens, Cape Town – a visit is highly recommended by Neil
  • The Joint Committee on Urban Drainage (JCUD) [Official Website]

Episode Chapters

(Chapters are embedded in the episode for quick access, click this to expand and view all chapters and time stamps)
  • 0:00 Intro
  • 1:59 Guest Intro and the Canoe Chute Story
  • 9:05 Choosing Water Engineering by elimination
  • 12:42 From Zimbabwe to Cape Town
  • 14:44 The PhD and a more impactful side project
  • 19:49 Neil’s greywater and sanitation chapter
  • 23:45 Terminology around sustainable drainage
  • 30:58 The Future Water Research Institute at Uni Cape Town
  • 33:13 Cape Town Day Zero Drought
  • 39:18 Stormwater harvesting for drought-proofing?
  • 41:54 Creating change in South Africa with community
  • 48:41 Summarizing the concept of SuDS
  • 49:32 A stormwater engineer’s greatest ally
  • 51:40 Gravity sucks
  • 56:15 Neil’s current endeavours
  • 1:05:07 Q&A Start
  • 1:05:19 What inspires you?
  • 1:07:34 Key moment, book, person
  • 1:11:18 If you had a magic wand?
  • 1:12:39 Time management
  • 1:18:28 Advice for young researchers
  • 1:20:00 Where can people reach you?
  • 1:20:45 Final Message
  • 1:22:07 Outro

Connect with Neil Armitage

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Credits