Socio-technical investigation of water scarcity impacts in underserved communities in OR Tambo District, South Africa

Abstract Water scarcity in South Africa has severe socio-economic, health, and educational impacts on underserved communities. Unfortunately, using a socio-technical approach to investigate such impacts and provide evidence-based insights to drive innovative solutions that inform priority interventions and strategic water infrastructure planning has not received significant attention. The proposed study combines technical analysis from a geo-hydrological perspective and community surveys in the form of a stakeholder engagement to establish the state and effects of water scarcity in four underserved communities (Cutwini, Mthambalala, Lujazu, and Luphoko) in the Oliver Reginald (OR) Tambo District of the Eastern Cape Province. A hydrogeological analysis of surface water and groundwater risks was conducted using web-based tools, examining inter-annual variability, water stress, and drought risk levels in these areas. Two site visits were conducted to verify the severity of the water-stress findings and their socio-economic and health impacts on the community. The perception of people of alternative water sources was also investigated using guide questions. According to our findings, only 33.1% of the population receives water from the municipality, while up to 62% depend on water from natural sources, of which 48% is sourced from the river. Geohydrological findings indicate that the District falls within the Karoo supergroup aquifer, characterised by unpredictable, complex, and unreliable groundwater sources, with borehole yields < 3.6 m 3 h − 1 . Water stress and inter-annual variability were found to occur predominantly during the winter months. The social survey results show that all four communities spend up to 1 h daily walking to nearby springs to collect water, which has a significant economic impact on the Cutwini and Mthambalala communities and schools during the winter months. The socio-technical findings provide pathways for community intervention projects to consider complementary water supply technologies, such as sorption-based atmospheric water harvesting (SAWH), which is estimated to have potential socio-economic advantages for the community over its lifecycle.