IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v16y2024i19p8362-d1486084.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Institutional Arrangements and Roles within Water and Wastewater Treatments in the Vhembe District, South Africa

Author

Listed:
  • Khumbelo Mabadahanye

    (School of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Mpumalanga, Nelspruit 1200, South Africa)

  • Mwazvita T. B. Dalu

    (School of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Mpumalanga, Nelspruit 1200, South Africa)

  • Linton F. Munyai

    (School of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Mpumalanga, Nelspruit 1200, South Africa)

  • Farai Dondofema

    (Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences, University of Venda, Thohoyandou 0950, South Africa)

  • Tatenda Dalu

    (School of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Mpumalanga, Nelspruit 1200, South Africa)

Abstract

Water scarcity is a global challenge faced by millions of people, and it has a negative impact on the ecosystem, public health, and financial stability. Water demand and supply management becomes critical, especially in areas with limited access to clean, safe water. Wastewater and water treatment infrastructure is essential for maintaining environmental integrity and protecting human health. However, water treatment plants in South Africa face various complex obstacles brought on by institutional setups, practical limitations, and environmental concerns, including water quality. This study investigated the institutional arrangements, operational challenges, and environmental concerns that water and wastewater treatment plants face in the Vhembe District Municipality, South Africa. A qualitative study was conducted in Limpopo province, where employees from 12 water and wastewater treatment plants were interviewed, and the data were analyzed thematically. The data were arranged into five major themes using thematic analysis: understanding water and wastewater treatment systems, educational and demographic profile, water quality assessment, operational performance and regulatory compliance, and water volume in waterworks plants. Staff attitudes, institutional and operational challenges, and the current condition of treatment plants were all comprehensively portrayed using Ostrom’s IAD Framework. It was found that workers generally understand water treatment processes, but inconsistencies and a lack of transparency in monitoring water quality were noted, with many parameters from SANS 241 not being tested consistently. A significant educational gap among workers was also observed. Insufficient capacity, load-shedding, limited resources, and inadequate infrastructure prevented treatment plants from meeting daily water needs, worsened by institutional and socio-economic factors. Similar challenges were noted in countries like China, Ethiopia, India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Brazil, and Libya. To enhance water management efficiency and compliance, the study recommends more training, standardized procedures, proactive maintenance, and stakeholder involvement.

Suggested Citation

  • Khumbelo Mabadahanye & Mwazvita T. B. Dalu & Linton F. Munyai & Farai Dondofema & Tatenda Dalu, 2024. "Institutional Arrangements and Roles within Water and Wastewater Treatments in the Vhembe District, South Africa," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(19), pages 1-17, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:19:p:8362-:d:1486084
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/19/8362/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/19/8362/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Nigussie, Zerihun & Tsunekawa, Atsushi & Haregeweyn, Nigussie & Adgo, Enyew & Cochrane, Logan & Floquet, Anne & Abele, Steffen, 2018. "Applying Ostrom’s institutional analysis and development framework to soil and water conservation activities in north-western Ethiopia," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 1-10.
    2. Mwazvita T. B. Dalu & Ross N. Cuthbert & Hulisani Muhali & Lenin D. Chari & Amanda Manyani & Current Masunungure & Tatenda Dalu, 2020. "Is Awareness on Plastic Pollution Being Raised in Schools? Understanding Perceptions of Primary and Secondary School Educators," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-17, August.
    3. Resoketswe Charlotte Moropeng & Phumudzo Budeli & Lizzy Mpenyana-Monyatsi & Maggy Ndombo Benteke Momba, 2018. "Dramatic Reduction in Diarrhoeal Diseases through Implementation of Cost-Effective Household Drinking Water Treatment Systems in Makwane Village, Limpopo Province, South Africa," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-17, February.
    4. Stepping, Katharina, 2016. "Urban sewage in Brazil: drivers of and obstacles to wastewater treatment and reuse. Governing the Water-Energy-Food Nexus Series," IDOS Discussion Papers 26/2016, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Sara Romero-Muñoz & Manuel Alméstar & Teresa Sánchez-Chaparro & Víctor Muñoz Sanz, 2023. "The Impact of Institutional Innovation on a Public Tender: The Case of Madrid Metropolitan Forest," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-20, June.
    2. Resoketswe Charlotte Moropeng & Phumudzo Budeli & Maggy Ndombo Benteke Momba, 2021. "An Integrated Approach to Hygiene, Sanitation, and Storage Practices for Improving Microbial Quality of Drinking Water Treated at Point of Use: A Case Study in Makwane Village, South Africa," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(12), pages 1-15, June.
    3. Yami, M. & Mekuria, Wolde, 2022. "Challenges in the governance of community-managed forests in Ethiopia: review," Papers published in Journals (Open Access), International Water Management Institute, pages 1-14(3):147.
    4. Minna Havukainen & Mirja Mikkilä & Helena Kahiluoto, 2022. "Climate Policy Reform in Nepal through the Lenses of the Institutional Analysis and Development Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-21, June.
    5. Gashaw Tenna Alemu & Atsushi Tsunekawa & Nigussie Haregeweyn & Zerihun Nigussie & Mitsuru Tsubo & Asres Elias & Zemen Ayalew & Daregot Berihun & Enyew Adgo & Derege Tsegaye Meshesha & Dessalegn Molla , 2021. "Smallholder farmers’ willingness to pay for sustainable land management practices in the Upper Blue Nile basin, Ethiopia," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(4), pages 5640-5665, April.
    6. Daming Li & Canyao Liu & Yu Shi & Jiaming Song & Yiliang Zhang, 2022. "Trade Flow Optimization Model for Plastic Pollution Reduction," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(23), pages 1-18, November.
    7. Luca Eufemia & Michelle Bonatti & Stefan Sieber & Barbara Schröter & Marcos A. Lana, 2020. "Mechanisms of Weak Governance in Grasslands and Wetlands of South America," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-23, September.
    8. Nigussie, Zerihun & Tsunekawa, Atsushi & Haregeweyn, Nigussie & Adgo, Enyew & Tsubo, Mitsuru & Ayalew, Zemen & Abele, Steffen, 2020. "Economic and financial sustainability of an Acacia decurrens-based Taungya system for farmers in the Upper Blue Nile Basin, Ethiopia," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    9. Henökl, Thomas, 2016. "Comparing structure and organisation of development bureaucracies in Europe: a pilot study of European aid administrations," IDOS Discussion Papers 27/2016, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS).
    10. Nabil Messabia & Edouich Beauvoir & Chokri Kooli, 2023. "Governance and Management of a Savings and Credit Cooperative: The Successful Example of a Haitian SACCO," Vision, , vol. 27(3), pages 397-409, June.
    11. Gratiela Dana Boca & Sinan Saraçli, 2023. "Effects of Romanian Student’s Awareness and Needs Regarding Plastic Waste Management," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-21, April.
    12. Wang, Jue & Wu, Zhuhui & Feng, Juelin, 2024. "Livelihood, irrigation, and landslide: Unfolding the human-water-land nexus using an integrative framework," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 142(C).
    13. Mohora Feida Malebatja & Mpata Mathildah Mokgatle, 2022. "Diarrhoea among Children Aged 5 Years and Microbial Drinking Water Quality Compliance: Trends Analysis Study in South Africa (2008–2018)," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-14, December.
    14. Akrivi Krouska & Katerina Kabassi & Christos Troussas & Cleo Sgouropoulou, 2022. "Personalizing Environmental Awareness through Smartphones Using AHP and PROMETHEE II," Future Internet, MDPI, vol. 14(2), pages 1-16, February.
    15. Tam Nguyen & Tsunemi Watanabe, 2020. "Autonomous Motivation for the Successful Implementation of Waste Management Policy: An Examination Using an Adapted Institutional Analysis and Development Framework in Thua Thien Hue, Vietnam," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-30, March.
    16. Mwazvita T. B. Dalu & Bonginkosi S. Ngobeni & Tatenda Dalu, 2023. "Assessing Pro-Environmental Behaviour towards Plastics among Staff and Students at a South African University," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(24), pages 1-13, December.
    17. Víctor Correa-Porcel & Laura Piedra-Muñoz & Emilio Galdeano-Gómez, 2021. "Water–Energy–Food Nexus in the Agri-Food Sector: Research Trends and Innovating Practices," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(24), pages 1-31, December.
    18. Faridi, Amir Ali & Kavoosi-Kalashami, Mohammad & Bilali, Hamid El, 2020. "Attitude components affecting adoption of soil and water conservation measures by paddy farmers in Rasht County, Northern Iran," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    19. David O’Byrne & Altaaf Mechiche-Alami & Anna Tengberg & Lennart Olsson, 2022. "The Social Impacts of Sustainable Land Management in Great Green Wall Countries: An Evaluative Framework Based on the Capability Approach," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-26, February.
    20. Assefa, Samuel & Kessler, Aad & Fleskens, Luuk, 2024. "Factors affecting farmers’ decision to participate in Campaign-Based Watershed Management program in Boset District, Ethiopia," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:19:p:8362-:d:1486084. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.