Who knows best? Paternalism in Aboriginal policy

Through colonial eyes, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are seen as subjects void of agency. They have been treated by the Australian polity as though they are in great need of saving. This paper explores the ways in which well-intended policies and initiatives implemented by successive governments have failed to recognise and support Indigenous Australians as functioning sovereign beings

Getting smarter about engaging with Parliament: Embrace digital, think interdisciplinary and plan for serendipity.

Jennifer Jeffes investigates how higher education institutions can support long-term strategies to boost engagement with Parliament. Strong research relationships spring up often organically, sometimes serendipitously, but almost never overnight. This should serve as a caution to the sector not to take too instrumental a view of research impact, instead focusing on the positive benefits that can yield from developing sustainable research partnerships in the longer term

The viability of rainwater and stormwater harvesting in the residential areas of the Liesbeek River Catchment, Cape Town

Includes bibliographical referencesThe sustainable provision of water to South African citizens is a significant challenge facing the country. In order to avert a crisis, municipalities will need to reduce their reliance on traditional water sources. Rainwater harvesting (RWH) and stormwater harvesting (SWH) are two alternative water resources that could supplement traditional urban water supplies. To date, the potential benefits of RWH and SWH within an urban setting have not been adequately considered or investigated in South Africa. The only way to quantify the benefits and potential viability of rainwater and stormwater harvesting was to select and model a representative catchment - the Liesbeek River Catchment, Cape Town South Africa was selected. An Urban Rainwater Stormwater Harvesting Model was developed to model the use of RWH and SWH in the catchment. Additionally, a Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) of the catchment was developed to investigate the stormwater management benefits of RWH and SWH. The study found, inter alia, that: RWH was viable for only a minority of property owners; climate change would have limited impact on the performance of RWH systems; and RWH is an unreliable - even for small storm events - means of attenuating peak flows. On the other hand, SWH has the potential to reduce potable water demand in the Liesbeek River Catchment by up to 20%. However, for SWH to be viable there would need to be a high level of adoption by residents, at least for non-potable uses such as flushing toilets and outdoor irrigation. SWH is also of benefit in the attenuation of peak flows during storm events. Finally, the research found that the implementation RWH and SWH together would be unwise, as both are most cost-effective under conditions of maximum demand. The study concluded that SWH could be a viable alternative water resource for urban residential areas in South Africa - depending on the scale at which it is implemented, the end use for which it is utilised, and the population density that drives the water demand. RHW, on the other hand, has limited potential - depending on climatic conditions; it may, for example, be viable in areas with year-round rainfall

Development of the simple economic model (SEM) for stormwater management

Includes abstract.Includes bibliographical references.Sustainable urban Drainage Systems (SuDS) are increasingly being implemented around the world. A common barrier to the wider use of SuDS in South Africa is the uncertainty regarding their total cost. The need for reasonable predictions of life cycle cost is vital, both in terms of ensuring the viability of the proposed projects as well as to allow for comparison with more conventional designs that have historically relied on concrete pipes and culverts to transport the stormwater to nearby receiving water bodies as quickly and efficiently as possible

Charging for stormwater in South Africa

The social, economic and environmental impacts of poor water quality on South Africa’s urban aquatic systems are increasingly being highlighted by the media. Improving the water quality in these systems will require catchment-wide strategies, including the monitoring and management of point and non-point source pollution collected in stormwater. Significant costs may be incurred; however, international experience suggests that these are outweighed by the benefits. Municipalities across South Africa charge their citizens for potable water and sewerage. Stormwater management, however, is generally funded through municipal rates. Competition with other pressing needs frequently results in the stormwater departments being significantly under-funded – at times only receiving a tenth of what is required for water quantity management. Internationally, an increasing number of cities have introduced a direct charge for stormwater management in order to secure the funding required to manage stormwater and its associated water pollution, and to serve as a disincentive to polluting practices on the part of landowners. In order to ensure adequate funding for stormwater management in South Africa, municipalities need to consider charging for stormwater management either based on an Equivalent Residential Unit (ERU) or Residential Equivalent Factor (REF), combined with an appropriate discount scheme for on-site stormwater management. Preliminary indicative rates have been calculated for municipalities across South Africa using the Damage Avoidance Cost (DAC) approach. The results indicate that the amount that municipalities could and should charge varies widely, from ZAR30 (2010) to ZAR110 (2010) per residential unit per month, depending on climatic zone and level of treatment.Keywords: stormwater management, damage avoidance cost, stormwater utilitie

A water sensitive urban design framework for South Africa

South Africa (RSA) is a ‘developing country’ still facing the challenge of providing basic water services to a significant proportion of the population. Water security is increasingly a matter of major concern, with most of the surface water resources fully accounted for and poor water quality downstream of urban areas. Whereas service delivery and social upliftment are high on the political agenda, the challenge is to promote economic and social equity, whilst simultaneously ensuring environmental sustainability; this challenge is greatest in the rapidly growing urban areas. Alternative approaches to conventional urban water management, which account for these water-supply and -quality constraints as well as the impacts of extreme weather-related events, are thus required. It is postulated that, from a water-management perspective, this will require strategic planning for the wide-scale implementation of Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) – a systems-based approach that focuses on the interactions between the built form and water-resources management. This article describes a way forward for an integrated management (infrastructure and planning) approach for urban water. It defines what ‘water sensitivity’ might mean in the RSA context, and outlines the process that was followed to develop a framework and guidelines for implementing WSUD in South Africa. The four complementary components of the framework – research, vision, narrative, and implementation – highlight what will be required in order to manage the challenges facing the country’s urban water sector and enable the transition towards water sensitivity

Mitigating the impact of swimming pools on domestic water demand

South Africa is a water-scarce country where the sustainable provision of water to its citizens is one of the most significant challenges faced. A recent study in Cape Town, South Africa, investigated the impact of residential swimming pools on household water demand and found that, on average, the presence of a swimming pool increased water demand by 8.85 kℓ/ month or 37.36%. Should cities in South Africa wish to develop in a water sensitive manner – where water is treated as a scarce resource with economic value in all its competing uses – it will be vital to understand the impact of swimming pools on residential water demand. Should there be a significant increase in water demand attributable to the presence of a swimming pool on a property, it would highlight the need to consider whether it is acceptable for properties to use municipal water to fill them or top them up – especially in water-scarce/stressed areas. This paper describes a study undertaken in the Liesbeek River catchment, Cape Town, to investigate the impact that swimming pools have on domestic water demand. The results support the contention that properties with swimming pools use significantly more water than those without. This study estimated the additional demand resulting from swimming pools at between 2.2–2.4 kℓ/month or 7–8% of total water demand. The data also indicate that the presence of a swimming pool correlates with a higher indoor demand. The study shows the need to reduce the impact of swimming pools. This could include: pool covers to reduce evaporation, the recycling of backwash water, the use of rainwater to top up swimming pools, water use surcharges and, finally, appropriate regulation and enforcement to prevent the use of municipal water in swimming pools – especially during droughts.Keywords: urban water management, swimming pools, water demand managemen

Does having a drink help you think? 6–7-year-old children show improvements in cognitive performance from baseline to test after having a drink of water

Little research has examined the effect of water consumption on cognition in children. We examined whether drinking water improves performance from baseline to test in twenty-three 6–7-year-old children. There were significant interactions between time of test and water group (water/no water), with improvements in the water group on thirst and happiness ratings, visual attention and visual search, but not visual memory or visuomotor performance. These results indicate that even under conditions of mild dehydration, not as a result of exercise, intentional water deprivation or heat exposure, children's cognitive performance can be improved by having a drink of water