The evaluation and improvement of a sustainability index for intergrated urban water management in South African cities.

Water is not only essential for maintaining life; it is a key component of sustainable social and economic development having links to, inter alia, health, 'sense of place', food production and industrial growth. Although progress has been made with regard to water supply, it is estimated that there are still 2.4 million people in South Africa without access to adequate water and sanitation services as defined by the United Nations (Statistics South Africa, 2008). It is possible that the failure in service provision can partly be attributed to a lack of an integrated approach with regard to the various aspects of urban water management. Stoeckigt (2006) and De Carvalho (2007) used a systems approach to develop a composite Sustainability Index (SI) which, by addressing five components of sustainability (environmental, social, economic, political and institutional), attempts to give a measure of the potential for sustainability in the context of integrated urban water management. This thesis describes an evaluation and modification of this Sustainability Index. The literature presented in this research examines Integrated Urban Water Management (IUWM) and sustainability indicators. A particular focus was given to service provision in South African cities and the various aspects of the urban water cycle. This thesis set out to explore the possibilities for the improvement of the SI to guide the efficient delivery of services and appropriate description of human impacts on the environment. From the literature reviewed, it was concluded that the success of IUWM requires an interdisciplinary approach with strong political and institutional backing. The evaluation and modification of the SI was guided by knowledge gained from a review of the literature and through experience gained from applying the SI to two case study areas. Two South African cities, East London and Port Elizabeth were selected as case studies to test the applicability and validity of the original and revised index. In the evaluation of the SI, data accessibility and transparency in the method were used to determine the effectiveness of the index. This was done with the objective of improving the SI and ultimately promoting sustainability performance in the management of urban water systems. East London and Port Elizabeth obtained overall SI scores of 56% and 60% respectively. East London and Port Elizabeth both performed best in the political component receiving scores of 83% and 93% respectively. On the other hand, both cities score lowest on the environmental component of the SI. This indicated a need for more stringent environmental monitoring. In applying the SI to the case study areas, a number of priority areas, which need to be addressed by the respective municipalities were highlighted. The overall SI performance for both cities shows relatively slow progress towards sustainability with both East London and Port Elizabeth needing to improve their urban water management. Results of the analysis demonstrated that the revised index can highlight areas for improvement and ultimately guide more appropriate policies for better service delivery and improved resource management.

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Department of Civil Engineering

Year dc:date.issued

2009

Author dc:creator

• Mureverwi, Charlene

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Armitage, Neil

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/11427/5018

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/5018