Water security begins and ends with the individual

Abstract

Water security and the appropriate management of water resources are vitally important to South Africa, its population and the economy. According to the Department of Water and Sanitation’s 2013 Strategic Overview of the Water Sector in South Africa, the current utilisation of water resources exceeds reliable yield. Research conducted by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) revealed how differently people view and understand water security. CSIR researchers have been actively pursuing the question of how people understand water security in two municipalities: the Greater Sekhukhune District Municipality (Limpopo Province) and the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality (KwaZulu-Natal Province). To gain a more nuanced picture of the views and understandings of water security, the researchers conducted interviews with a variety of individuals, including stakeholders in industry, government, mining, agriculture, and communities within these local governments.