EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE ON THE CURRENT CONDITIONS OF WATER RESOURCE INFRASTRUCTURE WITHIN THE ETHEKWINI REGION
Abstract
Water is an essential and critical resource for human, animal, and plant survival and continued existence on planet Earth. Water is increasingly becoming a scarce resource; however, the issue of water scarcity has been exacerbated by the intensity of climate change conditions as well as aging water resource infrastructure in many countries, more especially in developing countries such as South Africa. Therefore, there is an urgent need to upgrade water resource infrastructure in South African cities in order to alleviate the stress on the current systems in place. This study aimed to evaluate the current conditions of water resource infrastructure and its management within the eThekwini region. In order to achieve that, this study's qualitative research method was adopted whilst using an in-depth interview approach, which is rooted in an ethnographic research approach to directly observe the current condition of eThekwini region water resource infrastructure assets. Thus, study observation and in-depth interaction were held with the operational personnel who are responsible for the operation and maintenance of the water infrastructure assets. The study findings reveal that the current condition and capacity of the water management system at eThekwini are not in a satisfactory state as some of the infrastructure is old and requires extensive maintenance. This study concluded and recommended that the eThekwini region needs to earnestly strive towards improving its current state of water resource infrastructure in order to meet its satisfactory capacity through routine maintenance.
Current Condition, eThekwini Region, Maintenance, Water Infrastructure.