194
C. H. Vhumbunu
Keywords Community-based water management strategies · Disaster
management · Disaster risk reduction · Day zero · Western cape province
11.1 Introduction
The severe drought of 2017/2018 experienced in Western Cape Province, South
Africa’s fourth largest province situated in the South-Western coast of the country,
which is third most populous with over 6 million inhabitants, brought tremendous
damage to the province’s economic activities while disrupting the lives and livelihoods of the people mostly through water shortages. The drought was so severe to
the extent that the Western Cape Provincial Government had to declare a provincial
state of disaster in accordance with Sect. 41(1) of the Disaster Management Act,
2002 (Act 57 of 2002). For this reason, ‘Day Zero’ was introduced in the provincial
capital, City of Cape Town which hosts 4 million residents, in order to focus the
attention of all residents on water consumption management, drought mitigation,
and drought risk reduction. Day Zero, initially puts on 12 April, 2018, later moved to
the end of April, May, July, and August, 2018, and then finally to 2019 and 2020; was
an envisaged day when the City would run out of municipal water. While the Western
Cape Drought of 2017/2018 remains very significant and instructive in presenting
future lessons on how collaborative community-based strategies can be fundamental
in mitigating and managing the risk of natural disasters, no in-depth applied research
has been conducted to empirically explore the community-based water management strategies and practices that were adopted by the City of Cape Town and the
rest of the Western Cape Province with a view to reduce and mitigate the drought
risks and effects. In this chapter, the community-based water conservation and water
management strategies and practices implemented in Western Cape Province within
the framework of climate change adaption and disaster risk reduction, so as to push
further the imminence of Day Zero in the province given the recurrence of droughts
in Western Cape. Insights emerging from the study are critical in providing lessons
for other drought-stricken communities, especially in developing countries in Africa,
Asia, Latin America, and across the globe as countries implement their National and
Regional Climate Change Adaptation Strategies as well as pursue the key priorities
and targets of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.
11.2 Contextualizing the Western Cape Drought Within
the International Disaster Risk Reduction Governance
Framework
The efforts to mitigate, manage, and reduce the risks of the Western Cape drought of
2017/2018 through collaborative community-based practices and strategies, coordinated by the Provincial Government in collaboration with the City of Cape Town and
C. H. Vhumbunu
Keywords Community-based water management strategies · Disaster
management · Disaster risk reduction · Day zero · Western cape province
11.1 Introduction
The severe drought of 2017/2018 experienced in Western Cape Province, South
Africa’s fourth largest province situated in the South-Western coast of the country,
which is third most populous with over 6 million inhabitants, brought tremendous
damage to the province’s economic activities while disrupting the lives and livelihoods of the people mostly through water shortages. The drought was so severe to
the extent that the Western Cape Provincial Government had to declare a provincial
state of disaster in accordance with Sect. 41(1) of the Disaster Management Act,
2002 (Act 57 of 2002). For this reason, ‘Day Zero’ was introduced in the provincial
capital, City of Cape Town which hosts 4 million residents, in order to focus the
attention of all residents on water consumption management, drought mitigation,
and drought risk reduction. Day Zero, initially puts on 12 April, 2018, later moved to
the end of April, May, July, and August, 2018, and then finally to 2019 and 2020; was
an envisaged day when the City would run out of municipal water. While the Western
Cape Drought of 2017/2018 remains very significant and instructive in presenting
future lessons on how collaborative community-based strategies can be fundamental
in mitigating and managing the risk of natural disasters, no in-depth applied research
has been conducted to empirically explore the community-based water management strategies and practices that were adopted by the City of Cape Town and the
rest of the Western Cape Province with a view to reduce and mitigate the drought
risks and effects. In this chapter, the community-based water conservation and water
management strategies and practices implemented in Western Cape Province within
the framework of climate change adaption and disaster risk reduction, so as to push
further the imminence of Day Zero in the province given the recurrence of droughts
in Western Cape. Insights emerging from the study are critical in providing lessons
for other drought-stricken communities, especially in developing countries in Africa,
Asia, Latin America, and across the globe as countries implement their National and
Regional Climate Change Adaptation Strategies as well as pursue the key priorities
and targets of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.
11.2 Contextualizing the Western Cape Drought Within
the International Disaster Risk Reduction Governance
Framework
The efforts to mitigate, manage, and reduce the risks of the Western Cape drought of
2017/2018 through collaborative community-based practices and strategies, coordinated by the Provincial Government in collaboration with the City of Cape Town and