Coping with drought: the experience of water sensitive urban design (WSUD) in the George Municipality

Authors

  • Naomey Lottering Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of Stellenbosch, P/Bag X 1, Matieland, 7602, South Africa
  • Danie du Plessis CRUISE (Centre for Regional and Urban Innovation and Statistical Exploration), University of Stellenbosch, P/Bag X 1, Matieland, 7602, South Africa
  • Ronnie Donaldson Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of Stellenbosch, P/Bag X 1, Matieland, 7602, South Africa

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4314/wsa.v41i1.1

Keywords:

drought relief strategies, George Municipality, integrated urban water management, South Africa, water sensitive urban design

Abstract

This study investigated the extent of Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) activities in the George Municipality in the Western Cape Province, South Africa, and its impact on water consumption. The WSUD approach aims to influence design and planning from the moment rainwater is captured in dams, to when it is treated, and reticulated to consumers, and extending to the point of wastewater re-use, as well as stormwater use. The study identified 8 WSUD sub-activities stemming from 4 main WSUD activities, implemented by the George Local Municipality. Water debtors’ data were sourced in order to measure the effect of 3 of the 8 WSUD sub-activities on water consumption in selected areas. The analysis confirmed that the three WSUD sub-activities had a short-term impact on reducing water consumption in the suburbs where they were implemented. It is recommended that the municipality focus on improved planning and implementation of a diverse range of WSUD activities and implementing information and monitoring systems to evaluate the impact of these measures.

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Published

2014-12-02

Issue

Vol. 41 No. 1 January (2015): Water SA

Section

Research paper

License

Copyright (c) 2022 Naomey Lottering, Danie du Plessis, Ronnie Donaldson

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

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How to Cite

Naomey Lottering, Danie du Plessis and Ronnie Donaldson (2014) “Coping with drought: the experience of water sensitive urban design (WSUD) in the George Municipality”, Water SA, 41(1 January). doi:10.4314/wsa.v41i1.1.