An opportune time to promote demand-side water management

Abstract

However, more than 15 years after this key pronouncement by Gleick, beyond theoretical policy changes, the level of implementation and uptake of demand-side approaches still remain low in most countries, including South Africa. Yet water security concern has catapulted to the front as a strategic global business risk over the same period. As such, there is an urgent need to redirect water management thinking and practice towards the yet to be fully explored demand-side management. To effectively understand the disparity between belief and practice, the central question that needs to be asked and addressed is: why have demand-oriented strategies not been the favoured options by water management practitioners? To highlight the extent to which demand-side management options have not been favoured the literature point out that, globally, about 33% of water provided in the urban drinking water distribution system is not accounted for – quite a significant amount that can bring relief either in quantum or financially.

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