Water and Society

We seek to investigate an overarching question: How do we manage water to ensure access to adequate quantity and quality while achieving food, water and livelihood security in rural, urban and urbanising landscapes? 

Understand the trajectories and drivers of change in the water sector, and define practical and inclusive policy strategies to achieve adequate access to water quantity and quality, thus ensuring equitable and sustainable use of water resources.

Our approach is multi-causal, interdisciplinary and multi-sectoral (agriculture and domestic), executed through a broad spectrum of livelihoods/ well-being, participatory water governance and policy outreach. By understanding the trajectories and drivers of change in the water sector and by defining practical and inclusive policy strategies, we hope to achieve equitable and sustainable use of water resources.

Overarching Research Question:

How do we manage water to ensure access to adequate quantity and quality while achieving food, water and livelihood security in rural, urban and urbanising landscapes?

Specific Research Questions

1. How do we manage water quality (surface water and groundwater) in the context of rapidly developing rural and urban landscapes to reduce risk to human health and dependent ecosystems?
2. How do we ensure equitable and sustainable use of water in rural, urbanising towns and cities?
3. What are the key hydrological changes, allocation mechanisms and water security outcomes in water-stressed agrarian landscapes?