Journal of Hydrology, volume 594, pages 125953

Don’t blame the rain: Social power and the 2015–2017 drought in Cape Town

Savelli Elisa ¹

Rusca Maria ¹

H Cloke ¹

Di Baldassarre Giuliano ¹

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Department of Earth Sciences, Air, Water and Landscape Science, Uppsala University, Sweden |

Publication type: Journal Article

Publication date: 2021-03-01

Elsevier

Journal: Journal of Hydrology

Quartile SCImago

Quartile WOS

Impact factor: 6.4

ISSN: 00221694

DOI: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2020.125953

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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.

By date By citations

Citations by journals

	1 2 3 4 5
Earth's Future	Earth's Future, 5, 10.87% Earth's Future 5 publications, 10.87%
Frontiers in Water	Frontiers in Water, 5, 10.87% Frontiers in Water 5 publications, 10.87%
Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences	Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, 2, 4.35% Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences 2 publications, 4.35%
Nature Sustainability	Nature Sustainability, 2, 4.35% Nature Sustainability 2 publications, 4.35%
Journal of Environmental Management	Journal of Environmental Management, 2, 4.35% Journal of Environmental Management 2 publications, 4.35%
Progress in Environmental Geography	Progress in Environmental Geography, 2, 4.35% Progress in Environmental Geography 2 publications, 4.35%
Hydrological Sciences Journal	Hydrological Sciences Journal, 2, 4.35% Hydrological Sciences Journal 2 publications, 4.35%
Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews Water	Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews Water, 2, 4.35% Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews Water 2 publications, 4.35%
Nature	Nature, 1, 2.17% Nature 1 publication, 2.17%
Nature Climate Change	Nature Climate Change, 1, 2.17% Nature Climate Change 1 publication, 2.17%
AGU Advances	AGU Advances, 1, 2.17% AGU Advances 1 publication, 2.17%
Hydrology and Earth System Sciences	Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 1, 2.17% Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 1 publication, 2.17%
Geographical Research	Geographical Research, 1, 2.17% Geographical Research 1 publication, 2.17%
Water (Switzerland)	Water (Switzerland), 1, 2.17% Water (Switzerland) 1 publication, 2.17%
Urban Forum	Urban Forum, 1, 2.17% Urban Forum 1 publication, 2.17%
iScience	iScience, 1, 2.17% iScience 1 publication, 2.17%
Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability	Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 1, 2.17% Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability 1 publication, 2.17%
Science of the Total Environment	Science of the Total Environment, 1, 2.17% Science of the Total Environment 1 publication, 2.17%
Nature Water	Nature Water, 1, 2.17% Nature Water 1 publication, 2.17%
Advances in Nutrition	Advances in Nutrition, 1, 2.17% Advances in Nutrition 1 publication, 2.17%
Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change	Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, 1, 2.17% Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change 1 publication, 2.17%
Ecosystems and People	Ecosystems and People, 1, 2.17% Ecosystems and People 1 publication, 2.17%
Public Health Nutrition	Public Health Nutrition, 1, 2.17% Public Health Nutrition 1 publication, 2.17%
Climate	Climate, 1, 2.17% Climate 1 publication, 2.17%
Modern Cartography Series	Modern Cartography Series, 1, 2.17% Modern Cartography Series 1 publication, 2.17%
Geoforum	Geoforum, 1, 2.17% Geoforum 1 publication, 2.17%
Global Environmental Change	Global Environmental Change, 1, 2.17% Global Environmental Change 1 publication, 2.17%
Journal of Hydrology	Journal of Hydrology, 1, 2.17% Journal of Hydrology 1 publication, 2.17%
World Water Policy	World Water Policy, 1, 2.17% World Water Policy 1 publication, 2.17%

	1 2 3 4 5

Citations by publishers

	2 4 6 8 10 12
Wiley	Wiley, 11, 23.91% Wiley 11 publications, 23.91%
Elsevier	Elsevier, 10, 21.74% Elsevier 10 publications, 21.74%
Springer Nature	Springer Nature, 6, 13.04% Springer Nature 6 publications, 13.04%
Frontiers Media S.A.	Frontiers Media S.A., 5, 10.87% Frontiers Media S.A. 5 publications, 10.87%
Copernicus	Copernicus, 3, 6.52% Copernicus 3 publications, 6.52%
Taylor & Francis	Taylor & Francis, 3, 6.52% Taylor & Francis 3 publications, 6.52%
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)	Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), 2, 4.35% Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI) 2 publications, 4.35%
SAGE	SAGE, 2, 4.35% SAGE 2 publications, 4.35%
Cambridge University Press	Cambridge University Press, 2, 4.35% Cambridge University Press 2 publications, 4.35%
American Society for Nutrition	American Society for Nutrition, 1, 2.17% American Society for Nutrition 1 publication, 2.17%
	2 4 6 8 10 12

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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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RIS Copy

TY - JOUR

DO - 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2020.125953

UR - https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.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 -

BibTex

Cite this

BibTex Copy

@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%2Fj.jhydrol.2020.125953},

pages = {125953},

doi = {10.1016/j.jhydrol.2020.125953}

}

Found error?

Publisher

Elsevier

Journal

Journal of Hydrology

Quartile SCImago

Quartile WOS

Impact factor

6.4

ISSN

00221694 (Print)