Abstract
Water is life; hence, every living thing depends on it for survival. It is infinite, yet a scarce resource that needs to be properly managed to ensure its availability and access. “The progress in health, nutrition, work, education, environmental protection and international cooperation are all related to availability and sustainable management of water resources and its infrastructure. Climate change impact such as drought and heatwave together with growing demand for water to meet food production and urban life has called for a serious attention towards water sustainability. In the City of Johannesburg challenges such as infrastructure failure, power supply shortages, lack of finance and rapid urbanization are some of the major issues preventing the city from achieving water sustainability. Urbanization has imposed excessive pressure on the cities’ existing water infrastructure and also led to rapid slum/informal settlement formation. This is exacerbated by the threat posed by the impact of climate change on the cities’ water supply sources. Many residents especially in the informal settlements do not have access to water, while many in the formal areas are constantly encountering water cuts resulting in socio-economic disruption. This study is focused on assessing the water sustainability approaches adopted by the City of Johannesburg to ensure availability and access to water by her residents. It made use of both primary and secondary data collected using questionnaires, field observation, interviews, analysis of documents such as policies, journals, books and articles. Findings revealed that the Johannesburg Water (JW) has poor water management approach due to continual infrastructure failure, power supply issues, urbanization and underfunding among others. This is evident through the constant water cuts experienced by the city’s resident, causing them both social and economic disruption. This study concludes by suggesting that the city’s water infrastructure management requires strategic planning, integration and coordination of several stakeholders responsible for water provision and infrastructure management, and adequate human and financial resources.”
Key Words. Approaches, Infrastructure, Management, Water, Sustainability.