Analysis of water use by gated communities in South Africa

Jacques Jl Du Plessis,Heinz E Jacobs

doi:10.4314/wsa.v44i1.15

Abstract

Gated communities (hereafter GCs) are popular in many countries, including South Africa, because added security and lifestyle improvements are offered relative to homes built on freestanding properties. One of the key factors for the popularity of GCs is the availability of amenities to support the demands of the residents, such as gymnasia, walkways, golf courses, play parks and polo fields. Further benefits include the improved management of infrastructure such as telecommunication services, roads, water, sewer, electrical and stormwater assets. GCs are often governed by trustees or homeowners’ associations, responsible for the operation and the maintenance functions of the infrastructure, as well as implementing and adhering to legislation that pertains to the GC. As part of this study, the monthly water-use records of 2 888 GCs in 3 different South African cities were analysed. Water use was evaluated for each GC as a whole, and also per household in each case. The average number of homes per GC was 33 households/GC, with the smallest GC in the study sample containing 3 houses and the largest 524 houses. One of the study sites was in the winter rainfall region, while 2 sites were in the summer rainfall region. The average annual water use of individual households in each GC was plotted against current guidelines and was found to be relatively low. The average annual daily demands of all properties in the winter rainfall region was 0.63 kL/d, compared to 0.66 kL/d and 0.49 kL/d for the two study sites in the summer rainfall region. The results highlighted peculiarities in the water use of GCs that have not been reported on before, in particular the relatively low water use and the differences between GC homes’ water use in the various rainfall regions.

Highlights

Suburban areas with predominantly single-family households typically comprise communal areas and private plots
This study focused on the water use of gated community (GC) and individual GC homes
The average monthly water use per GC home averaged over the entire record period, as shown in Fig. 2; and

Summary

Introduction

Suburban areas with predominantly single-family households typically comprise communal areas and private plots. Municipally-controlled communal areas would include, for example, the roads, public open space (POS) and parks. Plots would be privately owned, with a house, and possibly a garden and driveway with parking for vehicles. Some of these private homes would be enclosed by a fence for improved security. But water users have to adhere to the GC rules of conduct as well as municipal bylaws. In this text the term ‘GC home’ was used to distinguish between homes in a GC and suburban homes. A GC is typically guarded and fenced for security purposes (Radetskiy et al, 2015)

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion