Climate Change, Water Security, and Conflict Potentials in South Africa: Assessing Conflict and Coping Strategies in Rur
The peculiarity of South Africa vis-à-vis vulnerability to climate change, especially water scarcity, has become an issue of political and economic concern. The study assessed the security implications triggered by the impact of climate change on water se
- PDF / 224,650 Bytes
- 18 Pages / 439.37 x 666.142 pts Page_size
- 31 Downloads / 196 Views
Contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Contributions of the Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Materials and Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Overview of the Study Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Results and Discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Changes in Rainfall/Weather Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Water Management Realities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Water Shortage as Conflict Propeller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Probable Actions/Coping Strategies to Water Insecurity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Abstract
The peculiarity of South Africa vis-à-vis vulnerability to climate change, especially water scarcity, has become an issue of political and economic concern. The study assessed the security implications triggered by the impact of climate change on water security of rural communities in the uMkhanyakude District Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal. It focused on the extent to which this might trigger conflict as a coping mechanism in order to inform policy options. Data was sourced using a mixed methods approach where 385 survey questionnaires were distributed using a multi-layered purposive simple random sampling method; 12 in-depth interviews using purposive sampling; as well as 8 focus group discussions. The data generated was analyzed using SPSS descriptive statistics, as well as thematic content analysis for the quantitative and qualitative data, respectively. The study shows that the continuous variation in climate patterns has adverse effect in the study area. The vulnerability of rural communities in South Africa to these realities, especially water, is intensified by its weak coping capacity in terms of H. O. Patrick (*) Built Environment and Development Studies, University of KwaZ
Data Loading...
