A measure of sustainability in the context of urban water management in South Africa

Abstract

The aim of this research was to develop an understanding of and measure the potential for

sustainability in a South African urban water context. This was achieved through the use of a

systems approach to develop and evaluate a composite index – the Sustainability Index for

Integrated Urban Water Management (SIUWM) – based on a vision of what sustainable urban

water management means to decision makers at selected local authorities around the country.

The vision was expanded into a sustainability framework to identify suitable key indicators for

the index, as well as those which link with existing regulatory measurement initiatives in the

South African water sector. The hypothesis was that if a city improves its scores on all of its

indicators over a period of time, there is potential for long-term sustainability in the specific

urban water system. The SIUWM was applied as a ‘snapshot’ analysis to nine case study cities

(using 2010 / 2011 figures) and the results highlighted the inherent strengths and weaknesses in

the management of urban water in each city, and consequently across each dimension of

sustainability. Regularly-updated and publicly-available quantitative data as well as qualitative

information from interviews with municipal officials were used as input to the index. Key

performance indicator scores from the Department of Water Affairs’ regulatory performance

measurement systems were also used in the computation of the index scores. In this way the

SIUWM was able to provide a detailed analysis which could be used over time to track changes

in performance, establish goals and inform strategic processes to leverage support for improved

water services. Through its visioning process, the SIUWM is also able to identify

vulnerabilities in the water system and provide information that is potentially useful for

mitigating the root causes of these vulnerabilities. Sustainability assessment in the urban water

sector, by way of initiatives such as the SIUWM, is not only about taking stock of progress – it

is also about identifying shortcomings and challenges so as to contribute to initiatives and

policy-making aimed at achieving sustainability. By clarifying what sustainability constitutes in

the context of urban water management in South Africa through the use of a multi-dimensional

approach to sustainability assessment (as is achieved by way of the SIUWM), the mindsets of

decision-makers can hopefully be successfully shifted to embracing a more integrated approach

towards sustainable urban development and water sensitive cities.