Faculty of Humanities (ETDs)

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Subject: search.filters.subject.SDG-6: Clean water and sanitation

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    Water Grabbing?: Water Struggles over the Water Regulation of the Water Use Licenses of Coal Mines in Delmas, South Africa
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Loate, Lesego Lester; Wafer, Alex
    In various international contexts, attention has been given to the impact of the water use of extractives on water bodies. Some of these discussions are on the role of water regulation of the water use of extractives in the impacts on water bodies contributing to water scarcity for other water users and thus extractives based water struggles. Literature teases out the dynamics of the regulation of the water use of extractives through the three elements of water struggle that mirror elements of water regulation. These discussions focus on the allocation of water rights, the diverse forms of (non)recognition of water users in regulatory rules and participation in regulatory processes and exercise of rules. This study contributes to this literature focusing on coal mining water struggles in Delmas, South Africa. Despite an extensive history in mining, a leading country in coal reserves, as well as a country often touted as water scarce; research in South Africa on extractives based water struggles, in general, and coal mining water struggles in particular is limited. This study uses a case study approach using three coal mines in Delmas to address this gap in discourse. The study is based on interview and focus group data from key informations. The thesis focuses on the role of water regulation in the water problem behind coal mining based water struggles. The study also interrogates the mechanisms water regulation’s in6luence on the water problem behind coal mining based water struggles in Delmas. This study 6inds unfair and unequal regulatory practices in allocation enabling extra-legal water use by coal mines and the failure to enforce the water use of coal mines. Water regulation inequitably bene6its coal mines whilst burdening agricultural water users with pollution. Thus the study argues the water regulation is central to the resultant normalisation of the potential of future water scarcity. Water regulation exposes agricultural water users to structural and future reality. The (dys)function of water regulation of coal mines is the outcome of coal-centric socionatural relations of water that facilitate the water use of coal mines and normalise water scarcity.
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    Adoption of constructed wetlands in informal settlement
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023-08) Jetha, Hemal Girish; Thatcher, Andrew
    The study aimed to assess the effectiveness of constructed wetlands as a solution to greywater treatment in the context of water use in Setswetla, Alexandra, an informal settlement in Johannesburg that is characterized by makeshift housing, poor sanitation, and a lack of proper greywater treatment facilities. The lack of such facilities has resulted in the disposal of contaminated greywater across the settlement, which poses serious health risks to its people. The installation of constructed wetlands was considered a feasible solution, given that they can be built without displacing the population. However, the successful implementation of this solution would require a change in the behaviour of the population regarding greywater disposal. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the adoption of constructed wetlands which were installed in one portion of Setswetla, Silvertown to gain a better understanding of whether installing constructed wetlands helps with greywater disposal. The study also sought to determine if there was any difference in water use behaviour before and after the installation of the constructed wetlands. The research revealed that there was not much behaviour change pre- and post-installation of the constructed wetlands. Some of the significant differences found was that more people reported that they do collect the same amount of water during both summer and winter. More participants indicated that they do not collect the same amount of water during the week and weekend. Less participants reported that they could collect water during the day and night.