An investigation of problems associated with water projects in the rural areas that lead to unsustainability of water services : a case study the of Umfundweni area, in the Eastern Cape.

• Main Author: Nkabalaza, Sylvia Thandeka.
• Other Authors: Mantzaris, Evangelos Anastasios.
• Language: en
• Published: 2014
• Subjects: Water-supply.; Water resources development.; Theses > Social policy.
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10413/10379

This thesis examines the problems facing many of the rural water projects, especially in terms of their planning and implementation . There is a strong belief that water services in the rural areas are often not sustainable, and this is one of the major questions facing policy-makers over the last few years. The complexity of this problem has necessitated the development of a research project which will enable the assessment of various problems that become a barrier to the sustainability of water projects. The present study was carried out in Emfundweni administrative area of the Umzimkhulu district in the Eastern Cape Province. The methodology was based on a study of opinions, beliefs, ideas and realities as examined through research amongst community members, water department officials, local government staff in the form of the T.L.C's and engineers who were involved with the Emfundweni water project. One of the key aims of the study was to examine what problems affected the sustainability of water projects in rural areas, with the Emfundweni as a case study. The decision to include community members in the study is based on the fact that people involved in this water project hold their own perceptions, attitude and bias regarding what factors constituted problems that led to the lack of sustainability of the water project. The method that was used in the study allowed the researcher to compare the perceptions of the T.L.C's with those held by the community members engineers and water department officials. The findings supported the five hypotheses set out by the researcher in order to test the working model. === Thesis (M.A.)-University of Durban-Westville, 2003.