This study is non-empirical and its design is based on three forms of analysis: conceptualisation, theoretical justification and strategic considerations for a participatory model in the water services sector in South Africa. In terms of the conceptualisation, the study addresses the old and new paradigms of sustainable development. First, it argues that for many years the concept of sustainable development has long dominated the development discourse. Second, the theoretical justification traces the evolution and meanings of sustainable development and also patterns and trends of the legacies of colonialism and apartheid. The descriptive analysis of apartheid and colonialism suggests a new development path for inclusive people-centred development. The study therefore postulates that in the South African context, sustainable development is both a political and a historical construct. This is the basis within which sustainable development should be understood. Third, the study concludes that context plays an important part in understanding and challenging the immoral and unjust practices of colonialism and apartheid which have militated against sustainable human development. The study further provides a description of the local government and water sectors and their underpinned legislative and policy framework, and notes impressive results in the delivery of basic water supply since 1994. However, the study argues that in order for municipalities to fulfil their constitutional responsibilities as water services authorities, they need to adopt a participatory model towards sustainable development since this is currently lacking. In doing so, the water services sector needs to overcome dangers of parochialism which were more evident from the supply-driven policy of the government. The study therefore draws lessons from three Latin American countries: Chile, Bolivia and Nicaragua, and proposes a new developmental path which conforms to the principles of sustainability. This development path is represented in the form of a dynamic, diagrammatic model for participatory sustainable development. This model displays successive stages and cycles of transaction between stakeholders. The model represents a decision support system which provides a conceptual framework for the diagnosis, consolidation and analysis of information. The model is thus a useful tool which can be applied in the public sector during project or programme implementation. / Development Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Development Studies)

The continuous population growth and the notable development of the mining industry have resulted in challenges for potable water supply in South Africa. The ever-increasing number of people migrating to urban areas has resulted in the demand of potable water supply in South Africa. Water is regarded as a human basic right which is promulgated by the recent amendment of the potable water service provisioning Water Services Act 108 of 1997 and the National Water Act 36 of 1998. The afore-mentioned Acts started a process to address the imbalance that existed during the apartheid regime. (The apartheid regime essentially had one objective initially, namely the control of (black, coloured and Indian) people in order to protect white privilege). It was meant to separate people of different races).The Acts were formulated to address the equal distribution of national resource for all South Africans. Mogwase Township in Moses Kotane Local Municipality is undergoing continuous growth with several mining areas being developed. Consequently, the supply of potable water has been a challenge in the area. It is, therefore, in the interest of the researcher to investigate the management of potable water supply in Mogwase Township with the aim of suggesting improved service delivery by the Moses Kotane Local Municipality. Water is now recognised as a scarce resource that belongs to all South Africans. The provision of potable water by the water services authorities (WSAs) is an important basic service that faces a number of challenges, such as the use of outdated infrastructure, namely: pipelines from the Vaalkop Dam, the lack of skilled and knowledgeable people, improper planning, and the booming population that place overt pressure on the demand for effective and efficient service delivery. This research was undertaken to investigate how Moses Kotane Local Municipality which obtains its potable water supply from Vaalkop Dam can improve the supply of water in a more effective, efficient, equitable, economic and sustainable manner through improved co-operative governance and integrated water resource management (IWRM). The qualitative and quantitative research designs were used to conduct the research, which included a literature review, semi-structured interviews, data sampling and scientific analysis of the responses. The researcher arrived at logical conclusions and S.M.A.R.T. (Simple, Measureable, and Achievable Realistic Timebound) recommendations with regard to all aspects related to the future management of potable water supply in Mogwase Township. / MA (Development and Management), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

The continuous population growth and the notable development of the mining industry have resulted in challenges for potable water supply in South Africa. The ever-increasing number of people migrating to urban areas has resulted in the demand of potable water supply in South Africa. Water is regarded as a human basic right which is promulgated by the recent amendment of the potable water service provisioning Water Services Act 108 of 1997 and the National Water Act 36 of 1998. The afore-mentioned Acts started a process to address the imbalance that existed during the apartheid regime. (The apartheid regime essentially had one objective initially, namely the control of (black, coloured and Indian) people in order to protect white privilege). It was meant to separate people of different races).The Acts were formulated to address the equal distribution of national resource for all South Africans. Mogwase Township in Moses Kotane Local Municipality is undergoing continuous growth with several mining areas being developed. Consequently, the supply of potable water has been a challenge in the area. It is, therefore, in the interest of the researcher to investigate the management of potable water supply in Mogwase Township with the aim of suggesting improved service delivery by the Moses Kotane Local Municipality. Water is now recognised as a scarce resource that belongs to all South Africans. The provision of potable water by the water services authorities (WSAs) is an important basic service that faces a number of challenges, such as the use of outdated infrastructure, namely: pipelines from the Vaalkop Dam, the lack of skilled and knowledgeable people, improper planning, and the booming population that place overt pressure on the demand for effective and efficient service delivery. This research was undertaken to investigate how Moses Kotane Local Municipality which obtains its potable water supply from Vaalkop Dam can improve the supply of water in a more effective, efficient, equitable, economic and sustainable manner through improved co-operative governance and integrated water resource management (IWRM). The qualitative and quantitative research designs were used to conduct the research, which included a literature review, semi-structured interviews, data sampling and scientific analysis of the responses. The researcher arrived at logical conclusions and S.M.A.R.T. (Simple, Measureable, and Achievable Realistic Timebound) recommendations with regard to all aspects related to the future management of potable water supply in Mogwase Township. / MA (Development and Management), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

La lutte contre la destruction des écosystèmes et les efforts pour renforcer et renouveler les conditions de leur prise en charge collective reposent aujourd’hui sur trois fronts d’innovation disjoints : (1) la conception et l’utilisation de nouveaux outils d’évaluation des écosystèmes dans le champ de la conservation ; (2) le développement de nouvelles comptabilités socio-environnementales à l’échelle des organisations et (3) la mise à contribution des entreprises dans la protection du capital naturel. Cette thèse doctorale vise à les articuler en mobilisant la comptabilité comme pivot pour connecter les systèmes d’information écologique, les formes diverses d’organisation de l’action collective, et les initiatives et comptabilités des entreprises. Elle combine un travail de construction théorique et une recherche-intervention auprès d’une grande entreprise du secteur de l’environnement qui cherche à développer des activités de service dédiées à la qualité écologique des territoires. Nous proposons premièrement l’ouverture d’une nouvelle perspective d’innovation théorique et pratique, au croisement entre comptabilités et sciences de la conservation, et centrée sur la gestion collective de problèmes écologiques : le développement de « Comptabilités de Gestion pour les Ecosystèmes ». Nous montrons en quoi elles sont complémentaires de l’ensemble des autres types d’innovations comptables portant sur les écosystèmes. Nous proposons deuxièmement quatre grandes orientations organisationnelles et stratégiques pour penser et guider le développement de nouveaux modèles d’affaires de « services aux écosystèmes ». Afin de les compléter, nous ouvrons des pistes de conception de comptes et d’activités comptables pour accompagner une entreprise du secteur de l’environnement dans la négociation et la création collective de valeur écologique sur les territoires et dans la transformation de sa propre représentation et quantification de la valeur. / Current efforts to halt the destruction of the planet’s ecosystems and to reinforce and renew their collective management reside on three distinct innovation fronts: (1) the design and use of new ecosystem assessment tools by conservation scientists and practitioners; (2) the development of new social and environmental accounting frameworks and tools at the level of organization; (3) the contribution of the private sector to natural capital protection and maintenance. This doctoral thesis aims to relate these three domains of innovation to one another by mobilizing the accounting discipline as a pivot to connect ecological information systems and tools, diverse forms of collective action for ecosystem management, and private sector initiatives and accounting innovations. The thesis combines a work of theoretical construction with the results of an action-research conducted in an environmental sector company that seeks to develop new services specifically designed for the management of ecological systems. We first propose a new theoretical and practical perspective at the junction of accounting and conservation science centered on the collective management of ecological issues: the development of Management Accounting for Ecosystems. We show why and how they are complementary to all the other domains of ecosystem accounting innovation. Secondly, we introduce four organizational and strategic directions to think and guide the development of new “services to ecosystems” business models. To complement them, we suggest new accounts and accounting practices to help environmental sector companies negotiate and co-create ecological value with other stakeholders, and transform their own representation and quantification of corporate value.

Masters in Public Administration - MPA / According to the Constitution of Republic of South Africa (Act 108 of 1996) it is the responsibility of local government to provide basic and effective water services to all consumers in its area of jurisdiction. The Water Services Act (Act 108 of 1997) further supports this concept and establishes the institutional framework for service delivery and an enabling environment for development of the sector. In the spirit of co-operative governance the department of Water Affair and Forestry is obliged to provide this support to local government around the issues of water services provision but this support needs to be located within the legislative laid out in local government legislation. The nature of capacity support to Kei District Council is that it requires intensive initial support to ensure that it is able to fulfil its service functions, including those outlined in the Water Services Act. This requirement for intensive initial support is due of the following: (a) Kei District Council was previously not responsible for water services, (b) it require support to set up structures and systems for managing and monitoring water Services, (c) it need to develop water services expertise, (d)The Transitional Local Government process places an enormous challenge on Kei District Council to gear up for its role as developmental local government, and (e) the Water Services Act has introduced new requirement and clarified the water services authority functions that municipalities are required to fulfil.

Thesis (Ph.D. Commerce (Accounting)) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / Despite South Africa's progress towards increasing investments in water management (IWM), water services delivery challenges (WSDCs) are prevalent. However, this further proves that focusing on only increasing (IWM) without addressing sustainability practices is not the only lasting solution. Therefore, the study examined the relationship between Sustainable Water Infrastructure (SWI) factors and IWM in South African metropolitan municipalities (SAMMs) to explore an alternative way of dealing with WSDCs. The study considered 278 municipalities in South Africa as the population. Furthermore, the study purposively selected eight (8) SAMMs, and employed quantitative content analysis to collect secondary data (2009 to 2019) from the various internet-based data sources. The data analysis procedure involved multivariate regression analysis through which Ordinary Least Squares and Feasible Generalised Least Squares produced results for the study. The study results suggest that only environmental management practices have had a positive but insignificant effect on IWM, whereas social, governance and economic factors have adversely and insignificantly influenced IWM. Overall, the relationship between SWI factors and IWM in SAMMs has turned out to be neutral. The results further expose the metropolitan councils' lack of proactive strategies to deal with the SWI factors that impede progressive efforts towards addressing an underinvestment gap and the worsening WSDCs. Since the study pioneered in the water management narrative, it has initiated new approaches to addressing WSDCs in the South African context. The study results present important implications for water service authorities and policymakers in South Africa as the narrative concerning the development of sustainable cities continues to gain momentum in urban development discourses. The study further recommends that SAMMs adhere to guidelines proposed in the framework to ensure that created investment opportunities due to good SEGE practices can enhance IWM. Lastly, further studies in this field of study are fundamental in exploring various approaches to addressing WSDCs. / Mpumalanga Department of Education (MDE)

La concession des services d'eau et assainissement gérée par l'entreprise privée Aguas Argentinas S. A. entre 1993 et 2006 a fait l’objet de nombreuses études et recherches qui ont mis l'accent sur la dynamique des privatisations menées en Argentine dans les années quatre-vingt-dix. Cependant, bien qu’il s'agisse d'une période de changements dans la gestion des services urbains, la concession a mis en lumière certaines constantes qui structurent la relation entre les réseaux métropolitains et l'action publique locale. Cette recherche est basée sur les interactions entre les réseaux techniques et les territoires. L’analyse met tout particulièrement l’accent sur les continuités et les ruptures des opérations du concessionnaire dans l'aire métropolitaine de Buenos Aires. L’objectif de cette thèse est de répondre à ce questionnement à travers une analyse comparée des scénarios d'interaction entre la gestion centralisée des réseaux et l'action publique locale dans trois communes en aval du bassin du fleuve Reconquista: General San Martín, San Fernando et Tigre. Ces études de cas mettent en évidence, dans des contextes hétérogènes, la versatilité d'Aguas Argentinas face aux capacités de l'action publique locale pour mettre en œuvre la concession avec un certain degré d'autonomie. Une lecture transversale de ces spécificités locales révèle également la construction de processus de regroupement d'intérêts communs entre les différentes communes. Ce double mouvement d'autonomie et d'association, permet de mieux éclairer les oscillations entre le public et le privé, le sectoriel et le territorial, ainsi qu’entre le local et le central qui se développent selon un processus de territorialisation croissante dans l'accès aux services des eaux et assainissement. / The concession of water and sewerage, operated by the private company Aguas Argentinas between 1993 and 2006, was subject of numerous researches which emphasized the dynamics of privatization led in Argentina, in the nineties. However, although this was a turning point in the management of urban services, the concession revealed some constants that structured the relationship between metropolitan networks and local public action.This research examines the interactions between the technical networks and the territories. The analysis focuses on the continuities and ruptures of the operation of the concessionaire in the metropolitan area of Buenos Aires. In order to answer that enquiry, this thesis develops an analysis compared by the interaction scenarios between centralized network management and local public action in three municipalities -General San Martin, San Fernando and Tigre- that form part of the lower basin of the Reconquista River.These cases studies highlight the versatility of Aguas Argentinas, in very heterogeneous contexts against different capabilities from the local public action to implement the concession with some degree of autonomy. Also, a cross reading of these local variations reveals the construction of the strategies of aggregation of interests between municipalities. This double movement, of autonomy and association, allows to illuminate the oscillations between the public and the private, the sectorial and the territorial, the local and the central (national and global), which take place in a process of increasing territorialization of access to water services and sewerage. / El ciclo de la concesión de los servicios de agua y desagüe cloacal, operada por la empresa privada Aguas Argentinas entre 1993 y 2006, fue objeto de numerosos estudios que la asociaron con la dinámica de las privatizaciones, propias de la década del noventa en Argentina. No obstante, si bien se trató de un momento de cambio en la gestión de los servicios urbanos, la concesión fue al mismo tiempo reveladora de algunas regularidades que estructuraban la relación entre las redes metropolitanas y la acción política local. Esta tesis se propone examinar las relaciones de mutua transformación que se establecen entre las redes técnicas y los territorios, centrando el análisis en las continuidades y rupturas que resultan de la formas de operar de la empresa concesionaria en el área metropolitana de Buenos Aires. Para dar cuenta de esa problemática, se efectúa un análisis comparado de los escenarios de interacción que se dirimen entre la gestión centralizada de las redes y la acción pública local en tres municipios -General San Martín, San Fernando y Tigre- que forman parte de la cuenca baja del río Reconquista. Los casos de estudio ponen en evidencia, en contextos heterogéneos, la versatilidad de la actuación de Aguas Argentinas frente a las capacidades de la acción pública local para implementar la concesión con cierto grado de autonomía. Una lectura transversal de esas variaciones locales revela asimismo, la construcción de procesos de agregación de intereses entre los municipios. Este doble movimiento, de autonomía y asociación, permite iluminar las oscilaciones entre lo público y lo privado, lo sectorial y lo territorial, lo local y lo central que se juegan en la creciente territorialización del acceso a los servicios de agua y desagüe cloacal.

[ES] Los servicios de agua y saneamiento son un bien considerado un derecho humano por la Asamblea General de Naciones Unidas. Sin embargo, al mismo tiempo, son un monopolio natural. Es por ello que los usuarios no pueden escoger el prestador que les suministre el servicio, sino que deben conformarse con que el opere en la zona. Así, con el fin de proteger a los usuarios de las posibles prácticas monopolísticas, es necesario supervisar la calidad del servicio prestado, así como su precio a través de un marco regulatorio. Actualmente, el marco regulatorio del sector del agua español no cuenta con una ley que regule el ciclo urbano del agua a nivel nacional que provea seguridad legal a los prestadores ni homogeneice el servicio prestado. Se trata de un sector muy atomizado, con responsabilidades dispersas entre distintos organismos y niveles administrativos. La consecuencia directa es un entramado regulatorio complejo sin una autoridad clara de guie los pasos del sector. Es por ello que los distintos actores que componen el sector empiezan a demandar una reforma que englobe sus necesidades y permita superar con éxito los retos a los que se enfrenta el sector. El propósito de esta tesis es concretar una serie de propuestas técnicas a medida para el sector del agua español que promueva la voluntad de la administración y las partes interesadas para dar el paso de reformar el sector. Para ello, se parte del estudio de los diversos métodos regulatorios y herramientas existentes, con el fin de evaluar su aplicación en los distintos marcos regulatorios internacionales y analizar cuáles serían de aplicabilidad al caso español. Tras dicho análisis, se concluye que se requieren nuevas herramientas para regular el sector con éxito. Por ello, se han diseñado una serie de metodologías basadas en la evaluación del desempeño de los servicios de agua. Éstas permiten una adecuada comparación e interpretación de los resultados obtenidos por los operadores con el fin de posibilitar una regulación económica y de la calidad del servicio que sea justa para todas las partes implicadas. Asimismo, fomentan la transparencia, la eficiencia, la mejora continua del sector y su sostenibilidad. Para finalizar, se detallan una serie de directrices técnicas que tratan los diversos aspectos a tener en cuenta al implementar un regulador en España, como son: las características que debería reunir y los aspectos a regular, la articulación de la regulación de la calidad del servicio y la regulación económica o cómo financiar e implementar dicho organismo. La principal novedad de estas propuestas de regulación es que están enfocadas de forma técnica, evitando la perspectiva económica con la que generalmente se diseñan los marcos regulatorios. De este modo, se garantiza que los usuarios reciban un servicio de calidad al mejor precio, preservando el derecho humano al agua. / [CA] Els serveis d'aigua i sanejament són un bé considerat un dret humà per l'Assemblea General de Nacions Unides. No obstant això, al mateix temps, són un monopoli natural. Per aquesta raó, els usuaris no poden escollir el prestador que els subministra el servei, sinó que s'han de conformar amb el que treballe en la seua zona. Així, amb la fi de protegir als usuaris de les possibles pràctiques monopolístiques, cal supervisar la qualitat del servei prestat, així com el ser preu mitjançant un marc regulador. Actualment, el marc regulador del sector de l'aigua espanyol no compta amb una llei a nivell nacional que regule el cicle urbà de l'aigua, que proporcione seguretat legal als prestadors dels serveis i homogeneïtze el servei prestat. Es tracta d'un servei molt atomitzat, amb responsabilitats disperses entre diversos organismes i nivells administratius. La conseqüència directa és un entramat regulador complexe sense una autoritat clara que guie les passes del sector. Per aquesta raó, els distints actors que formen part del sector comencen a demandar una reforma d'aquest marc, de forma que s'engloben les seues necessitats i els permeta superar amb èxit els reptes als que s'enfronta el sector. El propòsit d'aquesta tesi es concretar una proposta tècnica a mesura per al sector de l'aigua espanyol, que fomente la voluntat de l'administració i les parts interessades per a donar el pas de reformar el sector. Així, es parteix de l'estudi dels diversos mètodes reguladors i ferramentes existents, amb la fi d'avaluar la seua aplicació en els distints marcs reguladors internacionals i analitzar quines serien d'aplicabilitat al cas espanyol. Després d'aquest anàlisi, es conclou que es requereixen noves ferramentes per a regular el sector amb èxit. Per això, s'han dissenyat una serie de metodologies basades en l'avaluació del rendiment dels serveis d'aigua. Aquestes permeten una adequada comparació e interpretació dels resultats obtinguts pels operadors amb la fi de possibilitar una regulació econòmica i de la qualitat del servei, que siga justa per a totes les parts implicades. A més, fomenten la transparència, l'eficiència, la millora continua del sector i la seua sostenibilitat. Per a finalitzar, es detallen una serie de directrius tècniques que tracten els diversos aspectes a considerar a l'implementar un regulador en Espanya, com són: les característiques que deuria reunir i els aspectes a regular, l'articulació de la regulació de la qualitat del servei i la regulació econòmica, o seu finançament i implementació. La principal novetat d'aquestes propostes reguladores és que estan enfocades de forma tècnica, evitant la perspectiva econòmica amb la que generalment es dissenyen els marcs reguladors. D'aquesta forma, es garantisca que els usuaris reben un servei de qualitat al millor preu, preservant el dret humà a l'aigua. / [EN] Access to Water services and sanitation are considered a human right by the United Nations. However, simultaneously, they are a natural monopoly which means that users cannot choose the utility. They will receive the services from the utility operating in that particular area, regardless its cost and quality of the services provided. Therefore, regulatory frameworks emerge with the aim of protecting customers from the possible monopolistic practices, supervising the quality of the service provided and the cost of the services. The Spanish water sector is very fragmented, with responsibilities dispersed among different agencies and administrative levels. In fact, the regulatory framework does not count with a law that regulates the urban water cycle, provides legal security to utilities and homogenizes the level of the service provided at a national level. The direct consequence is a complex regulatory framework without a clear authority to guide the steps of the sector. For that reason, the different stakeholders in the water sector request a reform in the regulatory framework that encompasses their needs and allows them to successfully overcome the challenges the sector is facing. The purpose of this thesis is to specify a series of technical proposals designed for the Spanish water sector in order to promote the determination of the government and the stakeholders to take a step forward and reform the sector. This work starts studying the existing regulatory methods and tools with the aim of evaluating their application in the different international regulatory frameworks and analyse their applicability into the Spanish case. This study concludes that new tools are required to regulate the sector successfully. Therefore, a series of methodologies have been designed, based on the performance assessment of utilities and enabling an adequate comparison and interpretation of the utilities' results. They have been created with the aim to allow for an economic and quality of the service regulation fair for all stakeholders. These methods are based in transparency and promote efficiency, continuous improvement of the sector and its sustainability. Finally, a series of technical guidelines are detailed with the aim to address the aspects to take into account when implementing a new regulatory framework in Spain, such as: the characteristics it should meet, the aspects to regulate, the articulation of the quality of the service and economic regulation, or how to finance and implement said body. The main novelty of his work is that it approaches regulation with a technical focus, avoiding the economic perspective with which regulatory frameworks are generally designed. In this way, it guarantees that users receive an appropriate quality of the service at the best price, preserving the human right to water. / Estruch Juan, ME. (2021). Diseño de una propuesta para la regulación técnica de los servicios de agua en España [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/172222 / TESIS