Journal of Hydrology, volume 594, pages 125953
Don’t blame the rain: Social power and the 2015–2017 drought in Cape Town
Publication type: Journal Article
Publication date: 2021-03-01
Water Science and Technology
Abstract
• Political ecology advances sociohydrological theorisations of human-water systems. • Political ecology exposes humans' unjust and unsustainable interactions with hydrology. • Different social groups diversely interact and coevolve with human-water systems. • Cape Town’s legacy engendered uneven levels of water insecurity across the City. • The 2015-27 drought accelerated and exacerbated a pre-existing water crisis. Sociohydrology has advanced understandings of water related phenomena by conceptualizing changes in hydrological flows and risks as the result of the interplay between water and society. However, social power and the heterogeneity of human societies, which are crucial to unravel the feedback mechanisms underlying human-water systems, have not been sufficiently considered. In response, this paper proposes an interdisciplinary approach that draws on political ecology perspectives to combine sociohydrological insights with analyses of social power and of the ways in which different social groups distinctively interact with water systems. We draw on empirical evidence of Cape Town’s water insecurity before and during the prolonged drought (2015–2017) that escalated into a severe water crisis, also known as Day Zero. The study integrates times series of reservoir storage and water consumption with 40 interviews and focus group discussions to firstly retrace the historical legacy of Colonial rules, Apartheid and, more recently, neoliberal policies. Within this human-water system, we show how Cape Town’s political legacy has encouraged unsustainable levels of water consumption amongst the (white) elite and tolerated chronic water insecurity amongst (black) informal dwellers. This uneven geography of water insecurity is also discernible in the unequal experiences of drought and water resilience trajectories of diverse social groups across Cape Town. We conclude that accounting for social power and inequalities can advance sociohydrology by identifying those mechanisms (within society) that determine what water is secured and what human-water interactions and dynamics will be sustained over time. Furthermore, by engaging with social power, sociohydrology can play a significant role in informing policies that reduce inequalities in water access and unsustainable water use.
Citations by journals
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Wiley
11 publications, 23.91%
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Elsevier
10 publications, 21.74%
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Springer Nature
6 publications, 13.04%
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Frontiers Media S.A.
5 publications, 10.87%
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Copernicus
3 publications, 6.52%
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Taylor & Francis
3 publications, 6.52%
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Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)
2 publications, 4.35%
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SAGE
2 publications, 4.35%
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Cambridge University Press
2 publications, 4.35%
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American Society for Nutrition
1 publication, 2.17%
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- We do not take into account publications that without a DOI.
- Statistics recalculated only for publications connected to researchers, organizations and labs registered on the platform.
- Statistics recalculated weekly.
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Savelli E. et al. Don’t blame the rain: Social power and the 2015–2017 drought in Cape Town // Journal of Hydrology. 2021. Vol. 594. p. 125953.
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Savelli E., Rusca M., H C., Di Baldassarre G. Don’t blame the rain: Social power and the 2015–2017 drought in Cape Town // Journal of Hydrology. 2021. Vol. 594. p. 125953.
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TY - JOUR
DO - 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2020.125953
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2020.125953
TI - Don’t blame the rain: Social power and the 2015–2017 drought in Cape Town
T2 - Journal of Hydrology
AU - Savelli, Elisa
AU - Rusca, Maria
AU - H, Cloke
AU - Di Baldassarre, Giuliano
PY - 2021
DA - 2021/03/01 00:00:00
PB - Elsevier
SP - 125953
VL - 594
SN - 0022-1694
ER -
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@article{2021_Savelli,
author = {Elisa Savelli and Maria Rusca and Cloke H and Giuliano Di Baldassarre},
title = {Don’t blame the rain: Social power and the 2015–2017 drought in Cape Town},
journal = {Journal of Hydrology},
year = {2021},
volume = {594},
publisher = {Elsevier},
month = {mar},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2020.125953},
pages = {125953},
doi = {10.1016/j.jhydrol.2020.125953}
}