Economic analysis of urban water resources under drought: understanding water management and planning in South Africa
type: CreativeWork
description: Water scarcity is of the utmost importance for sustaining life and human development. This growing challenge is expected to worsen because of the changing dynamics observed in many countries worldwide. The increasing demand for water, driven primarily by population growth, is one of the main factors contributing to water scarcity. As the world's population continues to grow, so does demand for water for domestic purposes. Climate change is another significant factor exacerbating water scarcity. Changing weather patterns, such as reduced rainfall and the increased frequency and severity of droughts, affect water availability, making it more challenging to meet the growing demand for water. Economic progress is also a significant factor that contributes to water scarcity. Economic development often translates to increased water usage for economic production purposes, leading to overexploitation of water resources. Consequently, many countries face water shortages, which have adverse consequences for the environment and economy. Given these changing dynamics, it is crucial to reconsider the management and allocation of water resources. Therefore, it is important to develop sustainable water management policies that balance the competing demands for water and protect the environment and economic growth. This thesis contributes to the field of water resource management by leveraging insights from economic and environmental modelling methods. This thesis presents three papers with the common goal of understanding specific themes in the water sector, namely, households' preferences for water conservation technologies, the impact of tariffs on the choice of water supply source, and policy measures to optimize water allocation decisions in large water systems. It focuses on the case of South Africa and examines the challenges of water scarcity and management, providing a comprehensive understanding of the factors driving it and possible solutions to mitigate its impacts. The…
abstract: Water scarcity is of the utmost importance for sustaining life and human development. This growing challenge is expected to worsen because of the changing dynamics observed in many countries worldwide. The increasing demand for water, driven primarily by population growth, is one of the main factors contributing to water scarcity. As the world's population continues to grow, so does demand for water for domestic purposes. Climate change is another significant factor exacerbating water scarcity. Changing weather patterns, such as reduced rainfall and the increased frequency and severity of droughts, affect water availability, making it more challenging to meet the growing demand for water. Economic progress is also a significant factor that contributes to water scarcity. Economic development often translates to increased water usage for economic production purposes, leading to overexploitation of water resources. Consequently, many countries face water shortages, which have adverse consequences for the environment and economy. Given these changing dynamics, it is crucial to reconsider the management and allocation of water resources. Therefore, it is important to develop sustainable water management policies that balance the competing demands for water and protect the environment and economic growth. This thesis contributes to the field of water resource management by leveraging insights from economic and environmental modelling methods. This thesis presents three papers with the common goal of understanding specific themes in the water sector, namely, households' preferences for water conservation technologies, the impact of tariffs on the choice of water supply source, and policy measures to optimize water allocation decisions in large water systems. It focuses on the case of South Africa and examines the challenges of water scarcity and management, providing a comprehensive understanding of the factors driving it and possible solutions to mitigate its impacts. The…
author: Aina, Ifedotun
keywords: Economics
date published: 2023
date modified: 2026-07-22T22:23:33Z
provider: University of Cape Town
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: School of Economics

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/39185