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Water security in rural Eastern Cape, SA: interrogating the impacts of politics and climate change

Water security in rural Eastern Cape, SA: interrogating the impacts of politics and climate change

Apraku, Amos, Gyampoh, Benjamin, Morton, John ORCID: 0000-0002-8013-5794 and Karikari, Akosua (2022) Water security in rural Eastern Cape, SA: interrogating the impacts of politics and climate change. Scientific African, 19:e01493. pp. 1-13. ISSN 2468-2276 (doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sciaf.2022.e01493)

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Abstract

Achieving water security remains one of the central challenges to many developing countries today. According to the South African Water Research Commission, the availability of safe and affordable water is crucial in ensuring a healthy and productive life for all. Despite the national standards set to measure the quality of water in South Africa, the sources and ‘quality standards’ of water in rural Eastern Cape remain a major concern. Based on empirical research with 140 respondents and interactions; this paper highlights that most rural residents in the Eastern Cape still access water from dams, rivers and streams for domestic and agricultural purposes. Again, the availability of water throughout the year is not guaranteed due to changing global climatic conditions with both humans and livestock accessing water from same sources. The paper concludes that climate change and politico-administrative ‘negligence’ compound water insecurity in most of South Africa’s rural communities.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: rural; water security; climate change; Eastern Cape; South Africa
Subjects: G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GE Environmental Sciences
J Political Science > JC Political theory
S Agriculture > S Agriculture (General)
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group: Faculty of Engineering & Science
Faculty of Engineering & Science > Natural Resources Institute
Faculty of Engineering & Science > Natural Resources Institute > Livelihoods & Institutions Department
Related URLs:
Last Modified: 02 Mar 2023 09:09
URI: http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/38718

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