Towards an approach for enhancing water security: The case of South Africa

Background: Water demands in South Africa are rising, yet there is a lack of frameworks addressing sustainable water security at the local level. This gap, compounded by limited empirical evidence, challenges efforts to enhance water security. Aim: The article assesses water security and proposes a...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Neo W. Mokone, Vusi Gumede
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: AOSIS 2025-02-01
Series:Journal of Local Government Research and Innovation
Subjects:
Online Access:https://jolgri.org/index.php/jolgri/article/view/228
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850235495254065152
author Neo W. Mokone
Vusi Gumede
author_facet Neo W. Mokone
Vusi Gumede
author_sort Neo W. Mokone
collection DOAJ
description Background: Water demands in South Africa are rising, yet there is a lack of frameworks addressing sustainable water security at the local level. This gap, compounded by limited empirical evidence, challenges efforts to enhance water security. Aim: The article assesses water security and proposes a localised and adaptive framework for long-term water security at the household level in South Africa, aligning with sustainable development and integrated water resource management principles. Methods: Fieldwork, based on mixed methods approach, was conducted and a review of relevant literature was undertaken to identify fundamental dimensions of water security. Results: Critical elements influencing water security (viz. grouped into five dimensions: economic, social, technical, environmental, and institutional) were observed. An approach, based on the critical elements pertaining to water security, was developed to address the relevant dimensions, offering an integrated approach to enhancing water security. Conclusion: The proposed framework advances an understanding of water security by offering a novel and actionable approach that can be adapted to local contexts in South Africa (and possibly in other countries too). It emphasises the importance of multi-dimensional solutions to enhance the resilience of local water supply systems. Contribution: This article fills a significant gap in local-level water security frameworks, providing a practical model for policymakers and stakeholders to implement sustainable water security strategies in South Africa.
format Article
id doaj-art-5bb56302a91745efb3c5466caf62aa69
institution OA Journals
issn 2709-7412
2788-919X
language English
publishDate 2025-02-01
publisher AOSIS
record_format Article
series Journal of Local Government Research and Innovation
spelling doaj-art-5bb56302a91745efb3c5466caf62aa692025-08-20T02:02:13ZengAOSISJournal of Local Government Research and Innovation2709-74122788-919X2025-02-0160e1e1010.4102/jolgri.v6i0.22867Towards an approach for enhancing water security: The case of South AfricaNeo W. Mokone0Vusi Gumede1Faculty of Economics, Development and Business Sciences, University of Mpumalanga, MbombelaFaculty of Economics, Development and Business Sciences, University of Mpumalanga, MbombelaBackground: Water demands in South Africa are rising, yet there is a lack of frameworks addressing sustainable water security at the local level. This gap, compounded by limited empirical evidence, challenges efforts to enhance water security. Aim: The article assesses water security and proposes a localised and adaptive framework for long-term water security at the household level in South Africa, aligning with sustainable development and integrated water resource management principles. Methods: Fieldwork, based on mixed methods approach, was conducted and a review of relevant literature was undertaken to identify fundamental dimensions of water security. Results: Critical elements influencing water security (viz. grouped into five dimensions: economic, social, technical, environmental, and institutional) were observed. An approach, based on the critical elements pertaining to water security, was developed to address the relevant dimensions, offering an integrated approach to enhancing water security. Conclusion: The proposed framework advances an understanding of water security by offering a novel and actionable approach that can be adapted to local contexts in South Africa (and possibly in other countries too). It emphasises the importance of multi-dimensional solutions to enhance the resilience of local water supply systems. Contribution: This article fills a significant gap in local-level water security frameworks, providing a practical model for policymakers and stakeholders to implement sustainable water security strategies in South Africa.https://jolgri.org/index.php/jolgri/article/view/228sustainable water securityintegrated water resource managementdescriptive modelsustainable developmentlocalised framework
spellingShingle Neo W. Mokone
Vusi Gumede
Towards an approach for enhancing water security: The case of South Africa
Journal of Local Government Research and Innovation
sustainable water security
integrated water resource management
descriptive model
sustainable development
localised framework
title Towards an approach for enhancing water security: The case of South Africa
title_full Towards an approach for enhancing water security: The case of South Africa
title_fullStr Towards an approach for enhancing water security: The case of South Africa
title_full_unstemmed Towards an approach for enhancing water security: The case of South Africa
title_short Towards an approach for enhancing water security: The case of South Africa
title_sort towards an approach for enhancing water security the case of south africa
topic sustainable water security
integrated water resource management
descriptive model
sustainable development
localised framework
url https://jolgri.org/index.php/jolgri/article/view/228
work_keys_str_mv AT neowmokone towardsanapproachforenhancingwatersecuritythecaseofsouthafrica
AT vusigumede towardsanapproachforenhancingwatersecuritythecaseofsouthafrica