Addressing water access shortfalls: a cost-benefit analysis of grey and ecological infrastructure for basic service provisioning in South Africa

Simple item page
dc.contributor.advisorVisser, Martine
dc.contributor.authorJohnson, Holly
dc.date.accessioned2026-09-03T08:28:34Z
dc.date.available2026-09-03T08:28:34Z
dc.date.issued2026
dc.date.updated2026-09-03T08:27:43Z
dc.description.abstractThis study conducts a comparative analysis of the economic viability of grey and ecological infrastructure solutions to address water supply deficits for the 2.77% of South African households lacking access to potable water. Utilising cost-benefit analysis across 10, 20, and 30-year time horizons and varying discount rates (8%, 10%, 12%), this study quantifies the net present value and cost-benefit ratio of each infrastructure approach. Grey infrastructure is found to yield higher net present values and cost-benefit ratios in the long-run but is more sensitive to fluctuations in the discount rate and requires significant upfront investments. Ecological infrastructure, however, demonstrates more stable outcomes under economic uncertainty and a far broader range of benefits. The decision between these two infrastructure types will therefore depend on the context of financial constraints and risk tolerance. Grey infrastructure should be prioritised if capital is available, while ecological infrastructure is more suitable for areas with limited resources or higher environmental resilience objectives.
dc.identifier.apacitationJohnson, H. (2026). <i>Addressing water access shortfalls: a cost-benefit analysis of grey and ecological infrastructure for basic service provisioning in South Africa</i>. (). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Commerce ,School of Economics. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/43748en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationJohnson, Holly. <i>"Addressing water access shortfalls: a cost-benefit analysis of grey and ecological infrastructure for basic service provisioning in South Africa."</i> ., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Commerce ,School of Economics, 2026. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/43748en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationJohnson, H. 2026. Addressing water access shortfalls: a cost-benefit analysis of grey and ecological infrastructure for basic service provisioning in South Africa. . University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Commerce ,School of Economics. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/43748en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Johnson, Holly AB - This study conducts a comparative analysis of the economic viability of grey and ecological infrastructure solutions to address water supply deficits for the 2.77% of South African households lacking access to potable water. Utilising cost-benefit analysis across 10, 20, and 30-year time horizons and varying discount rates (8%, 10%, 12%), this study quantifies the net present value and cost-benefit ratio of each infrastructure approach. Grey infrastructure is found to yield higher net present values and cost-benefit ratios in the long-run but is more sensitive to fluctuations in the discount rate and requires significant upfront investments. Ecological infrastructure, however, demonstrates more stable outcomes under economic uncertainty and a far broader range of benefits. The decision between these two infrastructure types will therefore depend on the context of financial constraints and risk tolerance. Grey infrastructure should be prioritised if capital is available, while ecological infrastructure is more suitable for areas with limited resources or higher environmental resilience objectives. DA - 2026 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town KW - infrastructure KW - water access LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2026 T1 - Addressing water access shortfalls: a cost-benefit analysis of grey and ecological infrastructure for basic service provisioning in South Africa TI - Addressing water access shortfalls: a cost-benefit analysis of grey and ecological infrastructure for basic service provisioning in South Africa UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/43748 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/43748
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationJohnson H. Addressing water access shortfalls: a cost-benefit analysis of grey and ecological infrastructure for basic service provisioning in South Africa. []. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Commerce ,School of Economics, 2026 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/43748en_ZA
dc.language.isoen
dc.language.rfc3066eng
dc.publisher.departmentSchool of Economics
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Commerce
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.subjectinfrastructure
dc.subjectwater access
dc.titleAddressing water access shortfalls: a cost-benefit analysis of grey and ecological infrastructure for basic service provisioning in South Africa
dc.typeThesis / Dissertation
dc.type.qualificationlevelMasters
dc.type.qualificationlevelMCom
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
thesis_com_2026_johnson holly.pdf
Size:
1.83 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Download
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.72 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description:
Download
Collections
Masters