Participative water demand management as an adaptive response within complex socio-institutional systems: a case study of Cape Town, South Africa
Doctoral Thesis
2019
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Abstract
Worldwide adaptive strategies are being developed to address water insecurity. The current path of water resource management is not sustainable in the long-term, which requires the investigation of improved and adapted strategies. However, adaptation theory is proving difficult to implement. A range of serious practical issues are emerging as adaptation moves from theory to implementation. One of these is that the implementation of water demand management strategies are not aligned with the needs of the water users. Improvement can effectively enhance the success of water demand management, especially in cases where a water institution’s focus differs from the priorities identified by the water users. The aim of this thesis is to examine and analyse the role of participative water demand management in complex socio-institutional systems theory, and its potential to ameliorate adaptive capacity within the system in response to increasing water stresses. The research methodology consists of a literature review as well as a case study. The literature review include a discussion on the key concepts of adaptation theory, participative water demand management, and complex socio-institutional systems theory, amongst others. The case study contributed towards a practical understanding of the main aim of this thesis. The case study was undertaken in the City of Cape Town (CCT), which is a large metropolitan municipality in South Africa, a developing country. The theory suggested that individual behaviours can impact on water demands, especially during periods of drought, and that communication, participation and feedback among the social and institutional components must therefore form part of the adaptive strategies within water demand management. The literature alluded to a complex systems approach to water demand management, which can assist the different socio-institutional actors to increase their understanding of complex interactions and their capacity to adapt to these. A main empirical finding of the thesis is that adaptive measures, such as participation, is of paramount importance to the long-term sustainability of water demand management within the CCT, but are mostly lacking within its current management system. The results indicated that participative water demand management, as part of a suit of adaptive strategies, is able to increase flexibility within the CCT to address droughts more efficiently. Although water demand management in itself is an adaptive strategy to manage constraints on water resources, there is still a gap in finding better and more effective implementation methods to improve its acceptance by society and its success rates at reducing water demand. This thesis contributed towards new theoretical knowledge about adaptive theory, complex systems theory and participative water demand management as an adaptive response. It generated new thinking that contributes to improved and sustainable implementation of water demand management strategies within a developmental agenda that knows no bounds.
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Reference:
Viljoen, N. 2019. Participative water demand management as an adaptive response within complex socio-institutional systems: a case study of Cape Town, South Africa.