Conceptual Framework - Discussion: Towards a Conceptual Framework

2.6 Discussion: Towards a Conceptual Framework

2.6.1 Conceptual Framework

Emerging from the literature reviewed in this chapter is a conceptual framework for understanding limited access to safely managed water in resource-poor rural contexts. In particular, the conceptual framework is organised around two questions: What explains rural communities' limited access to safely managed water services and supply; and what challenges does limited access to safely managed water present for resource-poor rural communities?

Figure 2.1 presents the conceptual framework which guided analysis in this study.

First, rural communities have a history of marginalisation and neglect that was, and continues to be, characterised by limited services and resources. The legacy of colonialism and apartheid, particularly in South Africa, has meant that rural areas are both socially and economically isolated from the economic fabric of society. Within this context, they remain sidelined from receiving safe, reliable, and easily accessible water from taps or local standpipes. Indeed, matters are made worse because rural areas are often geographically isolated from urban areas and the economic hubs necessary for socio-economic development. The geographic isolation of rural communities perpetuates the low-income cycle, which fuels rural poverty. With a very

Moreover, because rural areas remain poorly resourced and lack basic services, they often do not have the necessary infrastructure for providing safely managed water. Mainly because rural communities are low-income areas that rely mostly on government interventions. Importantly, rural communities, particularly in South Africa, are welfare communities whose livelihoods are mostly dependent on the state and the yearly, albeit low, budgets given to local municipalities. These budgets are overstretched as they need to also provide social welfare benefits in the form of grants (Chinyoka, 2018; Meissner et al., 2018; Weaver et al., 2017).

Corruption, the lack of skills, and political interference at the government/municipal level have slowed rural development; thus, slowing progress in providing safely managed water services.

Irregular spending and inflated prices on the municipalities' side further marginalises rural communities from receiving services and resources. The literature reviewed in this chapter revealed the huge amount of money wasted on irregular spending and municipal corruption.

There is also a tendency to focus on urban development; with little or no attention paid to rural development. This is because urban areas are economic hubs and centres of technology, culture, and social transformation. Since urban areas attract many financial investors, they are regarded as a hub for job creation. Thus, individuals migrate from rural to urban areas in search of income-generating opportunities and a better life (Obayelu, Obayelu & Tolorunju, 2020;

Lyu et al., 2019). This depletes the human resources necessary for rural development, which means rural areas continue to survive on a low tax base. As noted above, this has implications for rural development as resources are often channeled towards urban development.

Finally, climate change has also had negative implications on how rural communities’ access safely managed water. The rivers and dams of which rural communities mostly rely on as their main source of water supply, or the next alternative, dry up due to drought. This presents a significant challenge as the sources of water supply for both household activities as well as productive activities such as crop irrigation, and livestock watering is threatened. Also, climate change leads to compromised water quality in that the increased temperature creates an environment where algae and other organisms grow and thrive thus reducing the water quality (Hamududu & Ngoma, 2020). Further, as Hamududu and Ngoma (2020) argued, increased temperatures and reduced rainfall patterns due to climate change led to low water availability.

Within this context, many challenges arise when rural communities have limited access to safely managed water. First, their health and wellbeing are disrupted since communities rely on unsafe and contaminated water. Several physical and mental illnesses arise from using unsafe water; moreover, these compromises both dignity and livelihood. Second, water insecurity poses a threat to the socio-economic viability of rural communities. Water is an essential human right that is needed for daily sustenance and economic activities. This is more so in rural areas, where livelihoods are mostly reliant on the natural environment (i.e., farming and livestock herding). Water, thus, is a vital resource for aiding wellbeing and supporting economic development activities. Finally, limited access to safely managed water in rural communities reinforces and perpetuates gender inequalities at both the community and household levels. Within this context, women carry the burden of sourcing, collecting, storing, and using water for their household needs. The literature relieved that these responsibilities have implications for women's health, wellbeing, and economic viability.

The study I analyse in this dissertation was at the intersection of human geography, rural geography, rural development, rural livelihoods, and gender. This area of research has received little attention in scholarship, policy, and state intervention/responses. Often, resource-poor rural communities' experiences are muddled up in the politics of national development, which often focuses predominantly on urban areas. As the literature illustrated, the experiences of rural communities are unique, and merit targeted attention. Therefore, taking all of this into cognisance, the study reported in this dissertation was premised on the assumption that rural communities are marginalised from essential resources and services. In particular, they have limited access to safely managed water, which has health, livelihood, socio-economic and gender implications.

In the next chapter, I provide a discussion of the theoretical framework which guided the study's data analysis.

CHAPTER THREE

FRAMING LIMITED ACCESS TO SAFELY MANAGED WATER IN RESOURCE-POOR RURAL CONTEXTS: TOWARDS A

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 3.1 Introduction

This study examined how adults living in a poorly-resourced rural community described their challenges associated with living in a community with limited access to safely managed water.

Specific attention was given to the lack of piped water service delivery at the household and community level. As stated in Chapter One, the study addressed two critical research questions:

• How do adults living in a resource-poor rural community describe their experiences of having limited access to safely managed water?

• Do men and women in this rural community report different experiences and views about having limited access to safely managed water?

In the previous chapter, I reviewed the literature focusing on the limited access to safely managed water and its implications for resource-poor rural communities. The literature reviewed informed the conceptual framework for understanding why resource-poor rural communities experience limited access to safely managed water. The conceptual framework also located challenges associated with rural communities’ limited access to safe water.

In this chapter, I outline the theoretical underpinnings of the study. First, I position myself as a researcher, starting with how I became interested in research that focuses on marginalised and resource-poor rural communities. The second section locates the study within the broader context of entitlement theory, outlining the relevance of the theory in analysing the distribution of resources in society on a meta-level. I use this to lead into the third section, which introduces gender socialisation within which the study is located. As I argue, proponents of the gender socialisation framework draw on the assumption that roles and responsibilities are socially constructed; and are assigned to individuals based on cultural beliefs and norms linked to their biological identities as either male or female. Within this context, I argue that women in resource-poor rural communities bear the burden of socio-economic responsibility when access

to safely managed water is limited. Finally, I conclude the chapter with a set of propositions that guided data analysis in the study.

Dalam dokumen Limited access to safely managed water in resource poor rural contexts: a photovoice study of adult experiences in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. (Halaman 54-59)