The concept of shared risk in public and private sector water security: a case study of Grabouw and the Elgin Valley, Western Cape, South Africa

dc.contributor.advisorWinter, Kevinen_ZA
dc.contributor.advisorPegram, Guyen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorBaleta, Hannah Francisen_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2015-12-01T09:17:27Z
dc.date.available2015-12-01T09:17:27Z
dc.date.issued2015en_ZA
dc.descriptionIncludes bibliographical referencesen_ZA
dc.description.abstractThis thesis investigates water risk in small-to medium-sized agro-processing companies and the public sector. Global interest in water management from the private sector has led to an increase in the development of water risk tools that are available to companies. Not only has the number of tools increased, but also the quality and form of these tools has been refined. Water risks are complex and extensive, and cannot be managed alone. Private sector interest in partnership and collaboration with other actors in managing water risk has increased as a result. The principal aim of this thesis is to investigate and explain the idea of shared water risk, using an adaptive theory process within a case study to investigate the understanding and knowledge of water risks among public and private actors. The study is informed by an assumption that if private and public interests are aware of the collective risks within a catchment, then sustainability of those business enterprises and public services, along with the protection and conservation of water resources may be possible. The case study is located in Grabouw and the Elgin Valley in the Theewaterskloof Local Municipality, Western Cape, South Africa. Private sector actors include agro-processing industries in the region, while the public sector includes local municipality officials and water resources management institutions such as the Catchment Management Agency and the Water Users Association. A conceptual framework of water risk and a sharing typology was developed from an analysis of interviews and the use of secondary sources of documents on the hydrology and socio-economic information on the catchment. The conceptual framework identifies the different water risks of the private and public sector, while the sharing typology indicates the progression of knowledge and understanding of private and public sector water risks, recognising that sharing does not take place in a single form. The framework and the typology together are intended to integrate an understanding of the theory and empirical data. Refinement of the framework and typology found that shared risk is especially pertinent in situations where systemic water risks affect the management of water and where that risk cannot be managed by individual companies or public sector authorities alone. The conceptual framework and typology identify the private and public sector exposure to risks, enabling actors to understand the scale and form of the respective risks in each sector. Where risks are not shared, the process of investigating the knowledge and understanding of risks helps to identify the complexity of the system. Contributions of this thesis include the use of risk as a common language to help bring together diverse sectors, especially when participatory decision-making is required. Not only the technical aspects of water supply and sanitation, but the wider social and environmental factors need to be considered as well. Understanding water security as a risk enables a wider and more diverse stakeholder group. The thesis concludes that collaboration and adaptive management need to be informed by knowledge and understanding of the complexity of risks within the catchment by multiple stakeholders.en_ZA
dc.identifier.apacitationBaleta, H. F. (2015). <i>The concept of shared risk in public and private sector water security: a case study of Grabouw and the Elgin Valley, Western Cape, South Africa</i>. (Thesis). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Science ,Department of Environmental and Geographical Science. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/15480en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationBaleta, Hannah Francis. <i>"The concept of shared risk in public and private sector water security: a case study of Grabouw and the Elgin Valley, Western Cape, South Africa."</i> Thesis., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Science ,Department of Environmental and Geographical Science, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/15480en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationBaleta, H. 2015. The concept of shared risk in public and private sector water security: a case study of Grabouw and the Elgin Valley, Western Cape, South Africa. University of Cape Town.en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Baleta, Hannah Francis AB - This thesis investigates water risk in small-to medium-sized agro-processing companies and the public sector. Global interest in water management from the private sector has led to an increase in the development of water risk tools that are available to companies. Not only has the number of tools increased, but also the quality and form of these tools has been refined. Water risks are complex and extensive, and cannot be managed alone. Private sector interest in partnership and collaboration with other actors in managing water risk has increased as a result. The principal aim of this thesis is to investigate and explain the idea of shared water risk, using an adaptive theory process within a case study to investigate the understanding and knowledge of water risks among public and private actors. The study is informed by an assumption that if private and public interests are aware of the collective risks within a catchment, then sustainability of those business enterprises and public services, along with the protection and conservation of water resources may be possible. The case study is located in Grabouw and the Elgin Valley in the Theewaterskloof Local Municipality, Western Cape, South Africa. Private sector actors include agro-processing industries in the region, while the public sector includes local municipality officials and water resources management institutions such as the Catchment Management Agency and the Water Users Association. A conceptual framework of water risk and a sharing typology was developed from an analysis of interviews and the use of secondary sources of documents on the hydrology and socio-economic information on the catchment. The conceptual framework identifies the different water risks of the private and public sector, while the sharing typology indicates the progression of knowledge and understanding of private and public sector water risks, recognising that sharing does not take place in a single form. The framework and the typology together are intended to integrate an understanding of the theory and empirical data. Refinement of the framework and typology found that shared risk is especially pertinent in situations where systemic water risks affect the management of water and where that risk cannot be managed by individual companies or public sector authorities alone. The conceptual framework and typology identify the private and public sector exposure to risks, enabling actors to understand the scale and form of the respective risks in each sector. Where risks are not shared, the process of investigating the knowledge and understanding of risks helps to identify the complexity of the system. Contributions of this thesis include the use of risk as a common language to help bring together diverse sectors, especially when participatory decision-making is required. Not only the technical aspects of water supply and sanitation, but the wider social and environmental factors need to be considered as well. Understanding water security as a risk enables a wider and more diverse stakeholder group. The thesis concludes that collaboration and adaptive management need to be informed by knowledge and understanding of the complexity of risks within the catchment by multiple stakeholders. DA - 2015 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2015 T1 - The concept of shared risk in public and private sector water security: a case study of Grabouw and the Elgin Valley, Western Cape, South Africa TI - The concept of shared risk in public and private sector water security: a case study of Grabouw and the Elgin Valley, Western Cape, South Africa UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/15480 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/15480
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationBaleta HF. The concept of shared risk in public and private sector water security: a case study of Grabouw and the Elgin Valley, Western Cape, South Africa. [Thesis]. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Science ,Department of Environmental and Geographical Science, 2015 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/15480en_ZA
dc.language.isoengen_ZA
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of Environmental and Geographical Scienceen_ZA
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Scienceen_ZA
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.subject.otherEnvironmental and Geographical Scienceen_ZA
dc.titleThe concept of shared risk in public and private sector water security: a case study of Grabouw and the Elgin Valley, Western Cape, South Africaen_ZA
dc.typeDoctoral Thesis
dc.type.qualificationlevelDoctoral
dc.type.qualificationnamePhDen_ZA
uct.type.filetypeText
uct.type.filetypeImage
uct.type.publicationResearchen_ZA
uct.type.resourceThesisen_ZA
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