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Water governance challenges in rural South Africa: exploring institutional coordination in drought management

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posted on 2023-07-26, 15:01 authored by Eugine Makaya, Melanie Rohse, Rosie Day, Coleen Vogel, Lyla Mehta, Lindsey McEwen, Sally Rangecroft, Anne F. Van Loon
Droughts have severe direct impacts on the livelihoods of rural populations. Thus, the management of water for communal agriculture and water supply should be well coordinated to enhance drought resilience. Notwithstanding the interrelations among water management institutions in South Africa, there are complexities in the way these institutions work together, both in preparation for, and during drought times. In this article, we examine the governance of water resources in South Africa with a view to understanding institutional coordination in drought management at different operational scales. Using a qualitative approach, the roles and relationships between water actors at the local and regional level were analyzed for their adequacy in building local level drought resilience in a village in the Limpopo province, South Africa. Key informant interviews conducted revealed operational drought management challenges that emanate from communication barriers, coordination inconsistences, and undefined, unclear actor roles and responsibilities during disasters. The top-down approach to disaster management, while of some value, currently constrains the effectiveness of the local-level institutions implementing local drought risk reduction efforts. Achieving more successful water and drought governance endeavors could be enhanced by greater and wider engagement with community-based actors and water management institutions.

History

Refereed

  • Yes

Volume

22

Issue number

4

Page range

519-540

Publication title

Water Policy

ISSN

1996-9759

Publisher

IWA Publishing

File version

  • Published version

Language

  • eng

Legacy posted date

2020-06-10

Legacy creation date

2020-06-10

Legacy Faculty/School/Department

Faculty of Science & Engineering

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