Resilience and Sustainability of the Water Sector during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Jacqueline Goldin, Luxon Nhamo, Bongani Ncube, John Ngoni Zvimba, Brilliant Petja, Sylvester Mpandeli, Wandile Nomquphu, Samkelisiwe Hlophe-Ginindza, Mariska Riana Greeff-Laubscher, Virginia Molose, Shenelle Lottering, Stanley Liphadzi, Dhesigen Naidoo and Tafadzwanashe Mabhaudhi
Additional contact information
Jacqueline Goldin: Centre of UNESCO Chair in Groundwater, Faculty of Earth Sciences, University of the Western Cape (UWC), Bellville 7535, South Africa
Luxon Nhamo: Water Research Commission of South Africa, Lynnwood Manor, Pretoria 0081, South Africa
Bongani Ncube: Centre for Water and Sanitation Research, Department of Civil Engineering and Geomatics, Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), Bellville 7535, South Africa
John Ngoni Zvimba: Water Research Commission of South Africa, Lynnwood Manor, Pretoria 0081, South Africa
Brilliant Petja: Water Research Commission of South Africa, Lynnwood Manor, Pretoria 0081, South Africa
Sylvester Mpandeli: Water Research Commission of South Africa, Lynnwood Manor, Pretoria 0081, South Africa
Wandile Nomquphu: Water Research Commission of South Africa, Lynnwood Manor, Pretoria 0081, South Africa
Samkelisiwe Hlophe-Ginindza: Water Research Commission of South Africa, Lynnwood Manor, Pretoria 0081, South Africa
Mariska Riana Greeff-Laubscher: Water Research Group, Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North West University (NWU), Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa
Virginia Molose: Water Research Commission of South Africa, Lynnwood Manor, Pretoria 0081, South Africa
Shenelle Lottering: Centre for Transformative Agricultural and Food Systems, School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg 3209, South Africa
Stanley Liphadzi: Water Research Commission of South Africa, Lynnwood Manor, Pretoria 0081, South Africa
Dhesigen Naidoo: Water Research Group, Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North West University (NWU), Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa
Tafadzwanashe Mabhaudhi: Water Research Group, Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North West University (NWU), Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 3, 1-17

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented socio-economic changes, ushering in a “new (ab)normal” way of living and human interaction. The water sector was not spared from the effects of the pandemic, a period in which the sector had to adapt rapidly and continue providing innovative water and sanitation solutions. This study unpacks and interrogates approaches, products, and services adopted by the water sector in response to the unprecedented lockdowns, heralding novel terrains, and fundamental paradigm shifts, both at the community and the workplace. The study highlights the wider societal perspective regarding the water and sanitation challenges that grappled society before, during, after, and beyond the pandemic. The premise is to provide plausible transitional pathways towards a new (ab)normal in adopting new models, as evidenced by the dismantling of the normal way of conducting business at the workplace and human interaction in an era inundated with social media, virtual communication, and disruptive technologies, which have transitioned absolutely everything into a virtual way of life. As such, the novel approaches have fast-tracked a transition into the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR), with significant trade-offs to traditional business models and human interactions.

Keywords: adaptive management; transition; sustainability; transformation; industrial revolution (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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