Enhancing resilience: a process-based approach to municipal groundwater management in South Africa

Abstract

During the severe drought from 2015 to 2019, the City of Cape Town (CCT) developed a Water Strategy and launched the New Water Programe (NWP) to strengthen its water supply (CCT 2019b). The NWP involved the development of two new groundwater supply schemes and the upgrade of an existing scheme. At the outset, the CCT, like many South African municipalities, lacked adequate management tools for groundwater resources. As the inaugural Municipal Hydrogeologist for the CCT, the role was instrumental in establishing groundwater resource protection as a municipal priority. This research responded by proposing and applying a process-based approach to municipal groundwater management, using the City of Cape Town as a practical case study. The central hypothesis of this thesis is that rethinking municipal water management, by adopting integrated and process-driven frameworks, can significantly enhance the resilience of urban water supply systems to drought events. The methodology is structured around four core objectives: enhancing groundwater monitoring, implementing groundwater protection zones, developing regulatory frameworks through municipal by-laws or equivalent mechanisms, and fostering public awareness and education. The process-based approach integrates scientific groundwater monitoring tools, including real-time data dashboards and forecasting models, to improve data-driven decision-making. Regulatory instruments were designed and tested while considering municipal governance structures, ensuring alignment with the CCT’s Water Strategy and its five core commitments. Stakeholder engagement, including municipal staff, ii http://etd.uwc.ac.za/local communities, and technical experts, was embedded throughout multiple stages of the process to ensure inclusive governance and informed decision-making. Governance emerged as a central theme, underpinning the resilience of groundwater management. The study emphasised the importance of transparent, adaptive governance frameworks that support compliance, accountability, and collaboration across institutional, technical, and social domains.