Journal of Water Resources and Ocean Science

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Challenges of Integrated Water Resources Management in the Western Cape Province, South Africa

Received: 03 September 2018    Accepted: 18 September 2018    Published: 05 June 2019
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Abstract

The increased demand for water and land in South Africa, in particular the Western Cape Province as a consequence of population growth, climate change and economic development has reportedly been accelerated from year to year. The province has been adhering to the Intergrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) which was developed in the Water Indaba of 2009 in order to respond to the joint National and Provincial action towards managing the water resources in the Western Cape Province. At the same time, there is growing empirical evidence that challenges the scientific consensus and the practical implications of implementing IWRM provincially and nationally, although the nature of the implementation challenges may differ in different contexts. Against this background, this paper investigates the nature of the practical challenges to implementing water resource management in the Western Cape region. The study reviewed existing literature on the various issues of IWRM in South Africa; the various basins in the country; the existing measures that the authorities have in place to deal with water resources management issues; the challenges that hinder the progress of their achievements and some suggestions that if considered can improve the current water resources management situations in South Africa. The availability of water and a broader range of water-related issues are identified. The recommended actions for improving the future IWRM are suggested. Challenges to improve the capacity buildings of IWRM related to enabling environment, institutional frameworks and management instruments are verified to contribute to the future directions for efficient problem-solving ability.

DOI 10.11648/j.wros.20190802.11
Published in Journal of Water Resources and Ocean Science (Volume 8, Issue 2, April 2019)
Page(s) 9-20
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Enabling Environment, Climate Change, Sustainable Development, Water Management Practices

References
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Author Information
  • Department of Environmental and Occupational Studies, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Cape Town, South Africa

  • Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Bellville, South Africa

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  • APA Style

    Ntokozo Malaza, Azwihangwisi Irene Mabuda. (2019). Challenges of Integrated Water Resources Management in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. Journal of Water Resources and Ocean Science, 8(2), 9-20. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.wros.20190802.11

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    ACS Style

    Ntokozo Malaza; Azwihangwisi Irene Mabuda. Challenges of Integrated Water Resources Management in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. J. Water Resour. Ocean Sci. 2019, 8(2), 9-20. doi: 10.11648/j.wros.20190802.11

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    AMA Style

    Ntokozo Malaza, Azwihangwisi Irene Mabuda. Challenges of Integrated Water Resources Management in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. J Water Resour Ocean Sci. 2019;8(2):9-20. doi: 10.11648/j.wros.20190802.11

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  • @article{10.11648/j.wros.20190802.11,
      author = {Ntokozo Malaza and Azwihangwisi Irene Mabuda},
      title = {Challenges of Integrated Water Resources Management in the Western Cape Province, South Africa},
      journal = {Journal of Water Resources and Ocean Science},
      volume = {8},
      number = {2},
      pages = {9-20},
      doi = {10.11648/j.wros.20190802.11},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.wros.20190802.11},
      eprint = {https://download.sciencepg.com/pdf/10.11648.j.wros.20190802.11},
      abstract = {The increased demand for water and land in South Africa, in particular the Western Cape Province as a consequence of population growth, climate change and economic development has reportedly been accelerated from year to year. The province has been adhering to the Intergrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) which was developed in the Water Indaba of 2009 in order to respond to the joint National and Provincial action towards managing the water resources in the Western Cape Province. At the same time, there is growing empirical evidence that challenges the scientific consensus and the practical implications of implementing IWRM provincially and nationally, although the nature of the implementation challenges may differ in different contexts. Against this background, this paper investigates the nature of the practical challenges to implementing water resource management in the Western Cape region. The study reviewed existing literature on the various issues of IWRM in South Africa; the various basins in the country; the existing measures that the authorities have in place to deal with water resources management issues; the challenges that hinder the progress of their achievements and some suggestions that if considered can improve the current water resources management situations in South Africa. The availability of water and a broader range of water-related issues are identified. The recommended actions for improving the future IWRM are suggested. Challenges to improve the capacity buildings of IWRM related to enabling environment, institutional frameworks and management instruments are verified to contribute to the future directions for efficient problem-solving ability.},
     year = {2019}
    }
    

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