The South African polycentric water resource governance-management nexus : parlaying an institutional agent and structured social engagement

Abstract

Water resource concerns, coupled with subsequent intensive needs for energy and food production along with the greatest deterioration of ecosystems seen during the last 50 years were identified as a global crisis in the 20th century. The World Economic Forum rated the world water supply crisis as the fourth most worrying global risk in terms of risk likelihood and risk impact. Natural water resources are seriously threatened by the growing population, outstripping the capacity of the earth to produce subsistence for human beings. South Africa is restricted as a water scarce country. Despite its progressive water laws and policies, a review undertaken for Africa Water Vision 2025, revealed many critical shortcomings and failures. Evidence reveal that critical constraints in the governance-management process of implementing environmental policies and WRM care lie in a lack of efficient trans-disciplinary dialogue between policymakers, scientists, water managers and users and governance structures. To address the governance and institutional void, the fundamental research question sought to determine whether a local institutional agent could be parlayed to bridge the fragmentation between multiple users and governmental institutional structures and levels. Through longitudinal action research, the unique case of a mature self-steering local water management institution, the Impala Water Users Association in the Pongola River catchment in northern KZN of South Africa was evaluated. The study examined engagement with local stake holders to execute water resource governance and management in a polycentric multi-stakeholder scenario in South Africa. It aimed to restore and protect the resilience of the natural environment that is critical for fresh water resources to ensure sustainable long term water security of the Pongola River catchment. A number of vulnerabilities and weak points of society as well as spheres of governmental authorities were identified. While South Africa experiences an era of institutional and governance uncertainty, it was demonstrated and is submitted that the well positioned water users’ associations in South Africa could fill the governance-management void left on a catchment scale. A polycentric approach to govern and manage water as a common pool resource was possible through the facilitation and structured engagement of a stable and suitable agent. While it is acknowledged that multi stakeholder engagement and water resource management is highly complex and taxing, it is argued that cooperative action among users can succeed in achieving many mutual water security goals and solving their immediate threats on the local scale. A polycentric institutional model is proposed by linking different role player clusters around a specific facilitating institutional agent