Persistent Droughts and Water Scarcity: Households’ Perceptions and Practices in Makhanda, South Africa

Abstract

Households in many cities worldwide consume substantial amounts of water, but increasing aridity will result in serious water supply challenges in the future. In South Africa, droughts are now a common phenomenon, with severe implications on water supply for urban households. Developing interventions to minimise the impacts of drought requires understanding of users’ perceptions of water scarcity, water use practices, and participation in water conservation practices. Using household surveys across different income groups (low, medium, and high) in Makhanda, South Africa, this study investigates households’ perceptions of water scarcity, water use, and conservation practices as a basis for designing pathways for sustainable water use practices. Results indicate that a substantial proportion of households were aware of water scarcity and attributed it to poor municipal planning rather than drought and wasteful use practices. Households reported good water use behaviour, but wasteful practices (e.g., regular flushing of toilets) were evident. Gender, age, education, and environmental awareness influenced water use practices, but the relationships were generally weak. Households participated in water conservation measures but felt the local municipal authority lagged in addressing water supply challenges. The implications of the study are discussed.

Population Exposure to Compound Droughts and Heatwaves in the Observations and ERA5 Reanalysis Data in the Gan River Basin, China

“…Different age-related physiological and thermoregulatory properties allow the body to adapt to CDHWs. People ≤14 and ≥65 years of age (i.e., younger and older individuals) are more vulnerable to hot extremes and experience greater heat-related health impacts than others [67][68][69][70]. Future work will explore the exposure of children and elderly people to CDHWs and investigate the extent to which different groups or occupations are affected by CDHWs.…”

Coastal urban reliance on groundwater during drought cycles: Opportunities, threats and state of knowledge

“…Several South African urban areas are struggling to meet water supply requirements due to growing demand, decreased rainfall and poor governance (e.g., Olivier and Xu, 2019;Mahlalela et al, 2020;Pamla et al, 2021). Two large, coastal metropolitan municipalities, the City of Cape Town (CoCT) in the Western Cape province and the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality (NMBM) in the Eastern Cape province (see Figure 3), have faced or are facing "Day Zero" where the water supply systems are expected to fail (e.g., Pamla et al, 2021).…”

“…Several South African urban areas are struggling to meet water supply requirements due to growing demand, decreased rainfall and poor governance (e.g., Olivier and Xu, 2019;Mahlalela et al, 2020;Pamla et al, 2021). Two large, coastal metropolitan municipalities, the City of Cape Town (CoCT) in the Western Cape province and the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality (NMBM) in the Eastern Cape province (see Figure 3), have faced or are facing "Day Zero" where the water supply systems are expected to fail (e.g., Pamla et al, 2021). Although all droughts do not necessarily evolve into water crises (Wolski, 2018), both municipalities rely primarily on rain-fed surface water resources (e.g., Luker and Harris, 2019;NMBM, 2022), which makes them vulnerable to reduction in precipitation in the short to medium term (see Table 1).…”

Consumption of edible flowers in South Africa: nutritional benefits, stakeholders' views, policy and practice implications

“…(Wholesale distributor and consumer) I would say that Aponogeton distachyos is only available for a very limited time, and custom-made hikes paired with waterblommetjie food experiences in the Overberg Mountains of Bot River is not a service we can offer outside the season. (Tour agent and consumer) Last but not least, given the high water demand for the production of Aponogeton distachyos, its growing is vulnerable to threats from persistent droughts and water supply crises, which have impacted SA in the past decades (see Pamla et al, 2021). The negative impact of this natural threat on the supply of canned Aponogeton distachyos is demonstrated in the following excerpt:…”