Resilient by design: a modelling approach to support scenario and policy analysis in the Olifants River Basin, South Africa

In this paper, we report on a concerted modelling effort in the South African water resources sector in which system dynamics provides the paradigmatic framing for both a stakeholder engagement process and for developing an underpinning, integrative simulation model. We describe the design of the parallel modelling approach and examine the...

Integrative approach to regional water schemes in South Africa

This article explores the use of a System Dynamics model as a boundary object in a case study regarding decision-making on water scarcity in South Africa. The model integrates expertise from the hydrological and ecological sciences with socio-economic information for a specific area, the Mossel Bay region. The model proved to be adaptable to...

Addressing stakeholder conflicts in rural South Africa using a water supply model

A system dynamics modelling approach is adopted to deepen understanding of the effects of operational management on the performance of the Greater Kirkwood water supply system in South Africa. Currently, the interrupted operation of the system has led to perceptions of systemic social injustice on the part of citizens and contention between the...

Issues of governance in water resource management and spatial planning

This paper describes governance arrangements in regional spatial planning and water resources management at the regional level from a normative point of view. It discusses the need to integrate spatial planning and resources management in order to deliver socially sustainable integral territorial management. To accomplish this, the Metropolitan...

Computer assisted dynamic adaptive policy design for sustainable water management in river deltas in a changing environment

Sustainable water management in a changing environment full of uncertainty is a profound challenge. To deal with uncertainties, dynamic adaptive policies can be used. Such policies can change over time in response to how the future unfolds, to what we learn about the system, to changes in environment, and to changes in societal preferences. This...

Designing Adaptive Policy Pathways for Sustainable Water Management under Uncertainty: Lessons Learned from Two Cases

Water management in river deltas is increasingly being challenged by pressures from population growth, sea level rise, increasing variability in river runoffs, and potential climate change. Adaptation to such changes is not only determined by what is known or anticipated at present, but also by what will be experienced and learned as the future...

Mining activities in a coastal zone: Effects and remedial measures in the Netherlands

In July, 1959, the presence of gas in the subsoil of the Province of Groningen in the extreme NE part of the Netherlands was confirmed. Subsequently, it became clear that the mining of the gas would result in considerable subsidence and a disruption of the drainage system of an area adjacent to the North Sea, and situated already partly below...

Trapped between institutions and politics: The role of politics and social dynamics in institutional performance for flood defense management in Jakarta, Indonesia

Flood defense management in Jakarta is a critical governmental activity given that Jakarta is a low-lying delta metropolis and trade center which relies on its safety for the continuity of the economic activities. Despite the urgency for action flood defense policy implementation was a lengthy and strenuous process that lasted 30 years (1973...

Water management in developing country: A case study of a watershed development program in the state of Bihar, India

It has for long been assumed that low-income communities do not know their infrastructure needs, so that decisions have been made by authorities without obtaining information and understanding of household and agricultural water demand. This top-down approach has been the reason for the failure of many water management initiatives, particularly...

Water management in developing country: A case study of watershade scheme in the state of Bihar, India

It has for long been assumed that low-income communities do not know their infrastructure needs, so that decisions have been made by authorities without obtaining information and understanding of household and agricultural water demand. This top-down approach has been the reason for the failure of many water management initiatives, particularly...