Understanding residential water-use behaviour in urban South Africa

Abstract

South Africa’s water supply is under great pressure as demand continues to rise. Demand mitigation strategies implemented by the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), water boards and local authorities, and a few water awareness initiatives by private sector companies, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and the media, have had some success, but domestic consumption remains high. In this chapter, we provide some background to current household water use behaviour from selected research conducted over the past 10 years and more particularly in the recent past as a result of the severe regional drought. We also provide a brief overview of some of the interventions which have been used by different metropolitan municipalities to curb water consumption. We then introduce a new study by the CSIR, in which we will delve deeper into residential water use and behaviour. This study will focus on the issue of attitudes of households to their water consumption in a search for ways in which domestic demand for water in South Africa’s urban areas may be measurably reduced. The paper aims to bring to the fore the complexity of the forces shaping demand and water use. In so doing, it further aims to inform public policy regarding strategies and actions to reduce consumption and/or provide alternative domestic supplies of potable water.