scholarly journals Understanding household water-use behaviour in the city of Johannesburg, South Africa

Water Policy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Genius Murwirapachena
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Water Consumption ◽  
Demand Management ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Probit Regression ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Household Water ◽  
Management Policies ◽  
Efficient Water Use

Abstract Climate change, population growth and industrial activities continue to threaten water security, especially in the semi-arid regions. Demand management policies are essential in minimising the effects of acute water shortages. Such policies require information on household water consumption patterns and their behavioural practices. This study examines household water consumption behaviour and the adoption of water-efficient appliances in Johannesburg, South Africa. The study uses probit regression models to analyse survey data collected from 889 households during the period November 2017 to February 2018. Results show that while most households do not have water-efficient appliances installed in their homes, they do practise water-efficient behaviour. Older respondents as well as males and lower-income respondents are found to be more likely to practise efficient water-use behaviour. However, biographical variables do not generally influence the adoption of water-efficient appliances. These results are essential for policy-makers when formulating targeted water demand management policies. Thus, policy-makers should focus more on younger people, women and higher-income households when developing campaigns on efficient water-use behaviour.

How Trust and Risk Perception Affect Household Water Use

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raymond Yu Wang ◽  
Xiaofeng Liu
Keyword(s):  
Risk Perception ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Water Consumption ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Tap Water ◽  
Demand Management ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
Recycled Water ◽  
Household Water

Household water use accounts for an important portion of water consumption. Notably, different households may behave differently regarding how water is used in everyday life. Trust and risk perception are two significant psychological factors that influence water use behavior in households. Since trust and risk perception are malleable and subject to construction, they are useful for developing effective demand management strategies and water conservation policies. The concepts of trust and risk perception are multidimensional and interconnected. Risk perception varies across social groups and is often shaped by subjective feelings toward a variety of activities, events, and technologies. Risk perception is also mediated by trust, which involves a positive expectation of an individual, an organization, and/or an institution that derives from complex processes, characteristics, and competence. Likewise, different social groups’ trust in various entities involved in household water use is subject to the significant and far-reaching impact of risk perception. The complexity of the two notions poses challenges to the measurement and exploration of their effects on household water use. In many cases, risk perception and trust can influence people’s acceptance of water sources (e.g., tap water, bottled water, recycled water, and desalinated water) and their conservation behavior (e.g., installing water-saving technologies and reducing water consumption) in household water use. Trust can affect household water use indirectly through its influence on risk perception. Moreover, trust and risk perception in household water use are neither given nor fixed; rather, they are dynamically determined by external, internal, and informational factors. A coherent, stable, transparent, and fair social and institutional structure is conducive to building trust. However, trust and risk perception differ among groups with diverse household and/or individual demographic, economic, social, and cultural characteristics. Direct information from personal experiences and, more importantly, indirect information from one’s social network, as well as from mass media and social media, play an increasingly important role in the formation and evolution of trust and risk perception, bringing a profound impact on household water use in an era of information. Future directions lie in new dynamics of risk perception and trust in the era of information explosion, the coevolution mechanism of risk perception and trust in household water use, the nuanced impacts of different types of risks (e.g., controllable and uncontrollable) on household water use, and the interactive relations of risk perception and trust across geographical contexts.

Social interaction in water demand management implementation

2005 ◽  
Vol 5 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 295-301
Author(s):  
J.S. Buckle
Keyword(s):  
Social Interaction ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Water Demand ◽  
Water Cycle ◽  
Demand Management ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Water Demand Management ◽  
Education Project ◽  
Broad Concept ◽  
Efficient Water Use

This article describes a successful awareness and education project undertaken in an East Rand township by the Water Cycle Management Section of Rand Water. The Project's focus was to create awareness in the community of the broad concept of water cycle management within an environment and to transfer skills to community members (facilitators) who could then assist in ensuring effective and efficient water use.

scholarly journals Seawater desalination as an option to alleviate water scarcity in South Africa: the need for a strategic approach to planning and environmental decision-making

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 287-293 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. O. Schreiner ◽  
R. C. van Ballegooyen ◽  
W. Osman
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Water Policy ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Bulk Water ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Environmental Decision Making ◽  
Strategic Approach ◽  
Seawater Reverse Osmosis ◽  
National Water

In the last decade, seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) has come to be seen by policy-makers as a novel technology that will significantly advance water security in South African coastal regions. Water purveyors, from the private sector, local/district municipalities and provincial authorities, are undertaking studies to explore the feasibility of SWRO to meet growing demand and relieve mounting pressure on current bulk water supply infrastructure. With this in mind, it is suggested that national strategic planning should be introduced to present the opportunities and constraints of the desalination option within the national water and energy policy. In absence of this, piece-meal decisions will be made at local authority levels and the construction of SWRO plants will be determined by regional circumstances (e.g. drought) as opposed to national water policy agenda. This paper explores the value of such a strategy by considering the drivers of SWRO in South Africa, the risk of unplanned large-scale SWRO implementation (with a focus on environmental impacts) and the initial steps that could be taken toward a Strategic Environmental Assessment for SWRO in South Africa.

DETERMINANTS OF WATER CONSUMPTION IN TOURISM LODGING SECTOR. THE CASE OF KAZAKHSTAN

2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-98
Author(s):  
Makhabbat Ramazanova ◽  
Bartolomé Deyá Tortella ◽  
Dolores Tirado ◽  
Anuarbek Kakabayev
Keyword(s):  
Regression Model ◽  
Water Consumption ◽  
Lodging Industry ◽  
Tourist Destination ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Tourism Sector ◽  
Management Policies ◽  
Main Determinants ◽  
Lodging Managers ◽  
Geographical Scope

Purpose – The main purpose of the paper is to identify, define and analyze the main variables that determine water consumption in the lodging industry, which usually accounts, on average, between the 6% and 10% of total operational costs. Design/Methodology/Approach – The research is based on a survey questionnaire distributed among lodging managers in summer 2016 in the Shchuchinsk-Burabay resort area (Kazakhstan). The regression model methodology has been used to determine the main drivers of water consumption in the tourism lodging facilities. Findings – The estimations obtained in the regression model reveal that the main determinants of water consumption are the total area of the lodging facility, the pool sizes, the type of accommodation (with a special attention to the sanatoriums sector) and the type of board offered. Our study also concludes that the implementation of water saving initiatives significantly reduces water consumption levels and constitutes an effective tool to minimize lodging water consumption. These results can be useful both for policy makers and accommodation managers to develop water management policies to guarantee water, both in quantity and quality, both for the resident population and for the tourism sector. Originality of research – The study extends the geographical scope of research in tourism-water nexus by focusing on the case of emerging tourist destination, such as Kazakhstan

DRIVERS FOR EFFICIENT WATER USE IN AGRICULTURE: AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS OF FAMILY FARMS IN ALMERÍA, SPAIN

2016 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
LAURA PIEDRA-MUÑOZ ◽  
LAURA L. VEGA-LÓPEZ ◽  
EMILIO GALDEANO-GÓMEZ ◽  
JOSÉ A. ZEPEDA-ZEPEDA
Keyword(s):  
Water Use ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Family Farms ◽  
Family Farming ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Hierarchical Regression Model ◽  
The Family ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
Efficient Water Use

SUMMARYThis paper aims to determine the influence of family farming features on efficient use of water. The analysis focusses on a random sample of family farms in the province of Almería, southeast Spain. A hierarchical regression model was conducted to determine how the water efficiency is related to environmental awareness and certain characteristics of farmers, decision-makers and the family farm itself. The results show that these family farms strive to be more efficient in their use of water when they are going to be inherited, when there are younger decision-makers who have received a better education, and also when women are involved. Moreover, this efficiency is positively related to more ecological production and to the farmer's habitual behaviour with respect to water economy. The study provides evidence regarding the influences of socio-economic and environmental features of family farming on water use efficiency that may prove useful for other analyses and policy makers on water management in agriculture.

scholarly journals What does rebounding water use look like? An examination of post-drought and post-flood water end-use demand in Queensland, Australia

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 561-568 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. D. Beal ◽  
A. Makki ◽  
R. A. Stewart
Keyword(s):  
Water Use ◽  
Water Consumption ◽  
Demand Management ◽  
Management Policy ◽  
Dry Period ◽  
Residential Water Consumption ◽  
End Use ◽  
Capacity Data ◽  
Residential Water

Rebounding water use behaviour has been observed in communities that have experienced plentiful water supply following a very dry period. However, the drivers of such rebounds in water consumption are varied and not well understood. Knowledge of such drivers can greatly assist managers towards proactive demand management, modelling and timely promotion of water efficient behaviours. Total and end-use residential water consumption has been tracked in South East Queensland, Australia for a sample of up to 252 homes in post-drought conditions (dam supplies growing but water restrictions continued, changed water use behaviours still ‘fresh’), and during and post-flooding conditions (eased restrictions, 100% dam capacity). Data on end-use water consumption trends using nearly 3 years of residential water end-use data have revealed several interesting patterns of consumption such as a delayed return to pre-drought use, the influence of climate and end-use specific rebounds (e.g. indoor versus outdoor use). The end-use data have helped to identify the drivers of rebounding water consumption which appear to include environmental cues (rainfall, temperature), social cues (e.g. government encouraging consumers to turn on tap) and a gradual general reduction in conservative water use behaviours. The paper concludes with a discussion of how this knowledge can be used to inform long-term demand management policy, particularly in variable climates.

scholarly journals Influence of Community Factors on Water Saving in a Mega City after Implementing the Progressive Price Schemes

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 1097
Author(s):  
Shaohong Han ◽  
Jizhi Zhou ◽  
Zeyuan Liu ◽  
Lijian Zhang ◽  
Xin Huang
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Water Consumption ◽  
Housing Price ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Hierarchical Cluster ◽  
Community Factors ◽  
Management Fees ◽  
Household Water ◽  
Residential Water

A progressive price scheme (PPS) has been implemented in Shanghai since 2013 in consideration of residents’ ability to pay, and charges are based on the actual water consumption of the residents, in an effort to balance the rational allocation of water resources and the goal of saving water between rich and poor families. In the current work, the effect of the PPS for water use was evaluated based on the water use of 6661 households from 14 communities in Shanghai. It was found that the PPS did not reduce household water consumption when comparing the water consumption per household both before and after the implementation of the PPS policy. To investigate the weakness of the PPS, a principal component analysis (PCA) and a hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) were conducted to access the relationships between mean household water use and community factors such as housing price, management fees, and the number of parking sites. Moreover, a significant inverted U-shaped curve between housing price and water use was found, which demonstrates that rental households shared by several tenants were the main consumers of residential water, and they were not sensitive to the water price improvement in the PPS due to sharing water prices. Therefore, a proposal was made in this work to increase the proportion of water fee expenditure in the total household income and to use 3% as the benchmark for water affordability. Our results provided a new picture of residential water use in big cities and a method for saving and balancing urban water resources.

scholarly journals Water Security and Judicial and Administrative Confusion in South Africa: The Trustees of the Time Being of the Lucas Scheepers Trust, IT 633/96 and Others v MEC for the Department of Water Affairs, Gauteng and Others Case nr 40514/2013

2017 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Ed Couzens ◽  
Devarasi Maduramuthu ◽  
Adrian Bellengère
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Water Rights ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Water Law ◽  
Environment Protection ◽  
High Court ◽  
The North ◽  
Relative Scarcity ◽  
National Water

One of the gravest constraints which South Africa faces in its efforts to promote development and to lift much of its population out of poverty is the relative scarcity of its water. Significant changes were made to South Africa’s water law in the 1990s, especially with the promulgation of the National Water Act 36 of 1998. In terms of this Act a Water Tribunal was created which ought to have enhanced water security and to have provided a settled forum to adjudicate disputes and to assist in developing the jurisprudence of water law. Instead the Tribunal appears to have created almost as much confusion as clarity before it was dissolved in much uncertainty over whether it would continue in existence or not. A recent judgment in the Gauteng High Court (The Trustees of the Time Being of the Lucas Scheepers Trust, IT 633/96 and Others v MEC for the Department of Water Affairs, Gauteng and Others) has created uncertainty by departing from the precedent of a relatively recent judgment in the North Gauteng High Court (Escarpment Environment Protection Group and Wonderfontein Community Association v Department of Water Affairs and Xstrata Alloys (Pty) Ltd and The Water Tribunal). In the context of the uncertainty created by the falling into desuetude, at least between 2011 and 2016, of the Water Tribunal, and contradictory indications from National Government, litigants have been forced to seek other fora for remedies. On occasion, courts have been sympathetic and given sensitive judgments – on occasion they have not. Against this background of inconsistent jurisprudence, it is important that there be greater clarity of rights, duties and institutions, and that institutions become settled as soon as possible so that a consistent jurisprudence can begin to emerge in the water rights field. While the situation stabilizes, which it is hoped that it will soon begin to do, it is suggested that both courts and government act with circumspection in considering applications concerning water use rights; and be sensitive of the current uncertain circumstances when making decisions. The difficulties of ensuring water security and administrative fairness in South Africa demand nothing less.

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