Water resource management is poorly understood and defined since the characteristics of water resources and their use are locally specific and differ widely from place to place. Beyond that, water as a renewable natural resource does not fall into conventional analytical paradigms. It is an...

While most of South Africa's water supply is dependent on rainfall, several other factors that have contributed to the water crisis in Cape Town. Among these is the relationship of technical experts to politicians and wider society and the role that environmental activists have played in...

This report encapsulates the findings from a study commissioned by the African Development Bank in 2013, and identifies key constraints to managing and developing water resources in Africa's transboundary basins in order to support regional integration. It also provides some guidance on how to...

Several factors have contributed to the water crisis in Cape Town. Among these is the relationship of technical experts to politicians and wider society and the role that environmental activists have played in determining how water supply and demand has been managed

The statistical community will come under increasing pressure from policy makers to help address the technical challenges of generating and translating data into policy useful information to support the implementation of global development goals. In the water sector, a key issue that will...

This note presents tools that can help make service providers more accountable to the people they serve. The voice of users is often muted in water utilities. One consequence is that utilities do not take account of users' priorities and preferences. The utility, in turn, loses the trust and...

This report considers whether and how different approaches to the development, management and use of water resources might contribute to regional integration in Southern Africa and concludes that water does not make an important direct contribution. Its political symbolism may have an important...

This paper served as a background paper to the European Report on Development 2011/2012: Confronting scarcity: Managing water, energy and land for inclusive and sustainable growth. The European Report on Development was prepared by the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) in partnership with the...