1.4 Green and Ecological Infrastructures as Instrumental Policies
15
practices that ameliorate the problems around water security and water governance,
in general, but that they have implications for political and, by default, also power
relations within a city’s boundaries, and possibly beyond.
In the next section of this chapter, I will discuss water security and how it is linked
to the instrumental policy arrangements of green and ecological infrastructures.
1.5 Water Security
Since we tend to focus on the concept of ‘security’, the notion of ‘water security’
often conjures up images of military-like action to keep water resources ‘safe’. There
is, however, more to the notion than meets the proverbial eye (Steyn et al. 2019).
A single definition of water security does not exist (Siwar and Ahmed 2014; Steyn
et al. 2019), and there are a variety of conceptualisations, depending on the human
and environmental needs (Cook and Bakker 2012; Siwar and Ahmed 2014), as well
as how people interact with one another and the environment to realise their water
requirements (Meissner et al. 2018a, b, 2019). This shows that the debate on water
security is complex, both locally and internationally.
The complexity of the conceptions and the discussions surrounding water security are manifested in their origins, intent and use. By way of illustration, at the
international level, and after the end of the Cold War, observers of world politics
revised the concept ‘security’ because of the changing geo-political landscape; they
expanded it to include not only military or physical security, but also economic,
environmental and human security (Bocardi et al. 2016; Funke et al. 2019). Not only
did a new meaning surface for the word ‘security’, and particularly ‘water security’,
but avenues for researching water security politics were also unlocked (Warner and
Zeitoun 2008).
Remaining on a political level, ‘proponents use the concept to raise water-related
concerns to the level of a political priority’ (Funke et al. 2019: 51), in a bid to express
the urgency of water crises, at all levels, and to establish immediate action to prevent
potentially violent situations or extreme human stress (Pahl-Wostl et al.2016; Funke
et al. 2019). This is also the case with South African academics who write about water
security; they seek ‘to help elevate water-related challenges to the political agenda’
(Funke et al. 2019: 57). In this regard, theories and concepts are not always neutral
because they benefit actors in the political arena (Cox 1996; du Plessis 2000; Warner
and Zeitoun 2008). That said, the concept ‘security’ constitutes a psychological
component that is used as a potential trigger for action on the part of the epistemic
and policy communities.
According to the Global Water Partnership (GWP) (2000: 12):
Water security, at any level from the household to the global, means that every person has
access to enough safe water at affordable cost to lead a clean, healthy and productive life,
while ensuring that the natural environment is protected and enhanced… The term “water
security” aims to capture the complex concept of holistic water management and the balance
15
practices that ameliorate the problems around water security and water governance,
in general, but that they have implications for political and, by default, also power
relations within a city’s boundaries, and possibly beyond.
In the next section of this chapter, I will discuss water security and how it is linked
to the instrumental policy arrangements of green and ecological infrastructures.
1.5 Water Security
Since we tend to focus on the concept of ‘security’, the notion of ‘water security’
often conjures up images of military-like action to keep water resources ‘safe’. There
is, however, more to the notion than meets the proverbial eye (Steyn et al. 2019).
A single definition of water security does not exist (Siwar and Ahmed 2014; Steyn
et al. 2019), and there are a variety of conceptualisations, depending on the human
and environmental needs (Cook and Bakker 2012; Siwar and Ahmed 2014), as well
as how people interact with one another and the environment to realise their water
requirements (Meissner et al. 2018a, b, 2019). This shows that the debate on water
security is complex, both locally and internationally.
The complexity of the conceptions and the discussions surrounding water security are manifested in their origins, intent and use. By way of illustration, at the
international level, and after the end of the Cold War, observers of world politics
revised the concept ‘security’ because of the changing geo-political landscape; they
expanded it to include not only military or physical security, but also economic,
environmental and human security (Bocardi et al. 2016; Funke et al. 2019). Not only
did a new meaning surface for the word ‘security’, and particularly ‘water security’,
but avenues for researching water security politics were also unlocked (Warner and
Zeitoun 2008).
Remaining on a political level, ‘proponents use the concept to raise water-related
concerns to the level of a political priority’ (Funke et al. 2019: 51), in a bid to express
the urgency of water crises, at all levels, and to establish immediate action to prevent
potentially violent situations or extreme human stress (Pahl-Wostl et al.2016; Funke
et al. 2019). This is also the case with South African academics who write about water
security; they seek ‘to help elevate water-related challenges to the political agenda’
(Funke et al. 2019: 57). In this regard, theories and concepts are not always neutral
because they benefit actors in the political arena (Cox 1996; du Plessis 2000; Warner
and Zeitoun 2008). That said, the concept ‘security’ constitutes a psychological
component that is used as a potential trigger for action on the part of the epistemic
and policy communities.
According to the Global Water Partnership (GWP) (2000: 12):
Water security, at any level from the household to the global, means that every person has
access to enough safe water at affordable cost to lead a clean, healthy and productive life,
while ensuring that the natural environment is protected and enhanced… The term “water
security” aims to capture the complex concept of holistic water management and the balance