Spotlight: Research shows that SA's water crisis is a human security issue
National water discussions have incorporated ISS research findings on why South Africa's emerging water crisis is a human security risk.
Published on 12 March 2015 in
Impact
As a result of research by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), national water discussions now recognise the human security challenges presented by South Africa’s emerging water crisis.
The African Futures project’s paper Parched prospects: the emerging water crisis in South Africa presents an original long-term forecast of South Africa’s national water balance to 2035.
It points to the growing gap between demand and available supply and the inability of the current National Water Resource Strategy to meet this demand.
The head of the Water Research Commission (WRC), Dhesigen Naidoo, was a respondent at the 2014 launch of the paper at the ISS in Pretoria. The results of the research have gained considerable traction in the media and among other research institutions. Media outlets with diverse interests such as the environment, infrastructure, agriculture, and livestock used and referred to the paper.
The ISS analysis informed articles regarding the water crisis that appeared in various publications including those of scientific institutions like the WRC. Considering that the ISS does not typically write about water, this coverage reflects the authoritative nature of ISS research and its influence on governance issues.
The success of the paper can be attributed to the original modelling work regarding water futures, the strong quantitative rigour of the paper, and analysis of the cross-sectoral aspect of the crisis.
Water scarcity is a national problem that is not discussed enough and has a very slow burning fuse. One of the goals of the paper was to draw attention to an important future issue. The recent special report in Mail & Guardian on South Africa’s water crisis was inspired by the paper and suggests that the country is beginning to acknowledge and address the problem.
Research by the African Futures project on the water sector is continuing and the ISS hopes to contribute to solutions to the emerging crisis.
The African Futures project is a partnership between the ISS and the Pardee Center for International Futures. The parched prospects paper was authored by Steve Hedden and Jakkie Cilliers.
Media coverage of this research:
