Assessment of realization of fundamental human right to water Umlalazi Municipality, Kwazulu-Natal.
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Date
2021
Authors
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
Univeristy of Zululand
Abstract
The aim of the study was to examine the municipal water resource governance and
fundamental human rights to water in the UMlalazi Local Municipality of the KwaZulu-
Natal Province. The study employed the post-positivist paradigm and closed ended
questionnaires for collection of data. Stratified random sampling technique was used
to sample 375 respondents, who were the households (head of households). Chi-
square was used to determine relationships between the variables.
The findings showed that most of the respondents strongly agreed that the 6kl of
monthly water supply was not enough for meeting their domestic, consumptive and
hygiene neds. The municipality has a youthful population structure. Females were
mostly affected household water scarcity compared to their male counterparts. For the
households, a day would be terribly difficult without this life enabling commodity.
Access to potable water, good, human rights to water, water contamination, women
inclusion in planning and decision making and agriculture significantly influenced water
access in the Municipality. Consequently, the null hypothesis (Ho) was ruled out in
favour of the alternative hypothesis (HA).
The study concludes that the municipality still lack the capacity for water supply. There
are problems of funding, governance and free riding on water supply persist and these
continue to affect government’s water supply from reaching targeted beneficiary
communities. From the hypothesis test, the concludes that in the UMlalazi Local
Municipality, good governance, human rights to water, contamination of water, women
inclusion in decision making and agricultural activities in the area are significantly
associated with access to potable water and sanitation delivery among the rural
population.
To improve and sustain drinking water access, the study recommends that the
Municipality should strengthen measures to promote good water governance, improve
rights of localities to water, control the rate of water pollution, expand access and
inclusion of women in planning and streamline activities for ecologically friendly
agricultural activities in the communities. It is important that the households are
provided with adequate water to meet their water needs. Ensuring equity in water
access would play a major role in ensuring that the rural communities and previously
disadvantaged groups are given priority of water access in the Municipality.
Description
A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Arts in fulfilment of the requirements for the Master of Development Studies in the Department of Anthropology Development Studies at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2021.
Keywords
Municipal water resource governance, Fundamental human rights to water, UMlalazi Local Municipality, KwaZulu- Natal Province