Water resource decision making in the Western Cape system analysis

Bibliography: pages 138-151.
Water resource decision making in Greater Cape Town is characterised by numerous, often conflicting goals. Among these are ensuring engineering feasibility and flexibility of supply, maximising water yield, minimising costs and minimising negative environmental and social impacts. Furthermore, in the face of ongoing development, decisions on future water supply options can be expected to increase in complexity along with the potential for conflict as natural resources become more scarce. In the present political climate, the need to transform public sector decision making into a democratic and transparent process has been recognised. Stakeholder groups need to be satisfied that their interests are taken into account in decision making and that decision makers are accountable for their actions. This thesis argues the case for the use of a formal framework to improve future decision making between water supply options in light of the above goals. After debating which type of framework would be most appropriate, the possible workings of a future system are briefly outlined.