Abstract:
Population growth, climate change and increasing water consumption threaten the
availability and quality of municipal water. In South Africa, climate change
accelerates drought conditions leading to severe water shortages in areas such as
the Western Cape. Cape Town came close to a day-zero due to drought conditions
and excessive municipal water use, with households constituting the largest
proportion of municipal water consumers. Water Sensitive Urban Design measures,
such as rainwater harvesting, greywater recycling and permeable paving, may be
used to help manage and curb municipal water use. This study aims to explore,
describe and compare urban household uptake of these measures across the Cities
of Cape Town and Tshwane to determine (1) past, present and future uptake, (2)
factors influencing uptake, and (3) preference for municipal assistance to implement
Water Sensitive Urban Design relative to other demand-side management
instruments. A survey was conducted amongst households in standalone houses
across suburbs and townships using a standardised questionnaire (N = 250).
Significantly larger proportions of households in Cape Town compared to Tshwane
took up measures, highlighting day-zero's possible effect. Significant factors were
limited to existing water-saving behaviour, income, and home-ownership, while log-
linear analyses suggest little difference in the influence of factors between Cape
Town and Tshwane. Day-zero is therefore unlikely to cause a more permanent
behavioural change in Cape Town. Municipal assistance to implement Water
Sensitive Urban Design measures was the second most preferred demand-side
management instrument, suggesting a preference for constructive rather than
punitive instruments. There appears to be potential for the large scale household
uptake of WSUD in South Africa. Therefore, indicating that it may be worthwhile for
municipalities, as well as various other water authorities and service providers, to
invest in WSUD. Recommendations are made for greater water sensitive urban
planning in a South African context.
