Abstract
Background
The current frequent disruptions in the water supply appear to be
caused by governance, maintenance, and targeted investment. In
locations like Khayelitsha, Alexander, and Soweto, the real gauge of
South Africa’s water security is found in the faucets rather than at a
dam wall. Therefore, this study explores the water supply value chain
through the lens of current water supply challenges.
Methods
This study applied a quantitative correlational research design to
investigate the statistical relationship between planned water
maintenance activities and unplanned water supply disruptions in the
City of Johannesburg between January 2019 and December 2023.
Although the study’s geographic focus is Soweto, data of both
planned and unforeseen water disruptions from the larger
Johannesburg metropolitan region were included in the sample
frame. Pearson’s correlation coefficients were calculated.to investigate
linear correlations between variables, Predictive links between
maintenance and future disruption patterns were examined using lag
correlations ((T) leading to (T + 1). Ward-level correlation coefficients
were also used to evaluate spatial variation. A value chain mapping
methodology was used to overlay correlation patterns along the
national, regional, local, and consumer supply architecture of the
water system in order to contextualize the statistical findings.
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Approval Status AWAITING PEER REVIEW
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