Robins Flashcards
Keythemes
Infrastructure
Infrastructural disparity
Discipline and surveillance
Resistance and activism
Infrastructure
Network of human & non-human actors ‣ Visibility vs Invisibility
Infrastructural disparity
Structural inequality
‣ The case of Newlands Spring ‣ Water as ‘common good
Discipline and surveillance
‣ Made citizens more responsible
‣ Framed around around cicvic responsibly (pg 10)
‣ Level 6B water restrictions
‣ Distributing pamphlets with guidelines
‣ Installing water metre devices (WMDs)
‣ Online ‘Water Map’ to monitor water usage of households
‣ Floating of the idea of police and military presence at water collection points
—> Aimed to create responsible citizens
Resistance and activism
‣ Water as ‘common good” ‣ Government over-reach
Summary of ‘Day Zero’ article
The article ‘Day Zero’, Hydraulic Citizenship and the Defence of the Commons in Cape Town by Steven Robins, published in the Journal of Southern African Studies, explores the water crisis in Cape Town in 2017-2018. It highlights how the threat of the collapse of the water system during the drought made water infrastructures politically visible and exposed infrastructural disparities. The formation of the Water Crisis Coalition (WCC) by anti-privatisation activists challenged increased water tariffs and aimed to defend public access to springs, contrasting with middle- class residents who sought to go ‘off the grid’. The article delves into the concept of ‘hydraulic citizenship’, discussing forms of civic activism and the contentious politics surrounding water and its infrastructures in Cape Town.
EXPLORATION OF WATER CRISIS AND INFRASTRUCTURE VISIBILITY
The article examines the impact of the water crisis in Cape Town, triggered by the drought, which brought attention to water infrastructures and disparities. It discusses the increased awareness of water consumption patterns, with middle-class areas using significantly more water than impoverished informal settlements. The visibility of these issues led to the formation of the Water Crisis Coalition and sparked debates about water as a public good and a commons.
INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
The introduction of the article sets the context of the water crisis in Cape Town, triggered by severe droughts, and outlines the responses of various stakeholders. It mentions the establishment of a water resilience task team and critical water-shortage disaster plan by the City of Cape Town. The article also sheds light on the emergence of civic activism, particularly theformation of the Water Crisis Coalition to challenge the local government’s water policies and privatisation efforts.
HYDRAULIC CITIZENSHIP AND CIVIC ACTIVISM
The concept of ‘hydraulic citizenship’ is explored in the article, emphasising the relationship between citizens and the city’s water infrastructure. It discusses how citizens and activists leveraged ‘water facts’ and moral and political claims to challenge the commodification of water and defend public access to water sources. The contentious debates and contestation of these claims by different stakeholders are analysed, highlighting the complexities of the politics of water in Cape Town.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, the article offers insights into the politics of water and its infrastructures in the context of the Cape Town water crisis. It examines the various forms of civic activism, expressions of hydraulic citizenship, and the contested narratives surrounding water as a public good. The article calls for a critical examination of water governance, infrastructural disparities, and the role of citizens in shaping water policies and access.
ROLE OF KEY VOICES
Winter from the Future Water Institute, Christine Colvin of World Wide Fund for Nature, and Peter Flower, director of Water and Sanitation of the City of Cape Town, emerged as key voices in the contentious politics of water supply in Cape Town. They were involved in shaping the discourse around Day Zero and the underlying issues of water scarcity and infrastructure challenges.
HYDROCITIZENSHIP AND ENVIRONMENTAL CIVIL SOCIETY
The term ‘hydrocitizenship’ is used to describe interventions by environmental civil society aimed at reshaping the relationship between people and water. The University of Brighton’s Centre for Aquatic Environments hydrocitizenship program is an example of initiatives connecting communities by addressing various water issues.
EMERGENCE OF CONTENTIOUS POLITICS
As the looming Day Zero crisis heightened, a contentious politics around water and infrastructure emerged in Cape Town. Citizens and activists played crucial roles in shaping public discourse, revealing the complexities of water scarcity and crisis. The discourse around water shifted from being purely technical and economic to becoming political, social, and hydrological.
OBJECT-ORIENTED DEMOCRACY AND INFRASTRUCTURE VISIBILITY
Analyses drawing on Bruno Latour’s notion of ‘object-oriented democracy’ highlighted the significance of both human and non-human actors in shaping responses to the water crisis. Infrastructure, like Riyaz Rawoot’s PVC pipe structure at the Kildare Road spring, became visible and politically charged during the crisis, sparking new debates on water governance and citizen participation.
DAY ZERO CRISIS AND PUBLIC AWARENESS
The threat of Day Zero in Cape Town led to a drastic reduction in water consumption among residents and prompted greater public awareness and debate on water resource limitations and inequalities in infrastructure. The crisis brought to the forefront the vulnerabilities of water systems and sparked widespread public panic and discourse, leading to a reevaluation of water governance practices and citizen activism.
PATH TO DAY ZERO AND POLITICS OF WATER
With the looming Day Zero, concerns over water scarcity intensified in Cape Town, leading to significant reductions in water use among residents. The impending crisis forced policymakers to implement water restrictions and tariff increases, setting the stage for a broader discussion on water management and sustainability. Despite the crisis being deferred to 2020, the events surrounding Day Zero highlighted the need for proactive measures to address water challenges in the city.
DROUGHT DECLARATION AND WARNING
On 13 February 2018, the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC) declared the drought in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, and Northern Cape provinces a national disaster. The mayor and DA premier of the Western Cape issued grim warnings of potential anarchy and chaos when the taps ran dry, emphasising the need for extreme water conservation measures to prevent social disorder and violence.
DAY ZERO CAMPAIGN
The concept of Day Zero surfaced in November 2017, as dam levels dropped and water scarcity became more severe. The City of Cape Town launched a campaign urging residents to drastically reduce water consumption, introducing surveillance technology to monitor and enforce compliance. The implementation of punitive measures and strict restrictions resulted in a significant decrease in water usage, ultimately averting the Day Zero scenario by March 2018.
WATER CONSERVATION EFFORTS
Despite the success of the Day Zero campaign and the significant reduction in water consumption, critics questioned the timing of the announcement, attributing it to political motives and economic considerations. The DA premier attributed the decline in water usage to tough restrictions, tariff increases, and residents’ adherence to water-saving measures. Additional factors such as water supply cuts to irrigation boards and water augmentation programs contributed to the overall reduction.
CHALLENGES AND ACTIVISM
Concerns arose regarding the fairness of water restrictions, especially for poor and working-class households exceeding the water allowance. A group of trade unionists and community activists established the WCC to challenge the City’s treatment of marginalised groups. Water literacy and public engagement on water-related issues increased, with debates on water privatisation and commodification shaping public discourse.CIVIC RESPONSES AND CITIZEN VIRTUE
CIVIC RESPONSES AND CITIZEN VIRTUE
Capetonians embraced water conservation as a civic responsibility and citizen virtue, with behaviours like reduced showering frequency and using grey water for flushing toilets becoming common practices. Stockpiling of water and food supplies, as well as preparations for social disorder, reflected the widespread public panic and concern over the impending water crisis. The city’s reliance on punitive measures like WMDs and water pressure reduction to enforce water restrictions highlighted the importance of individual and collective efforts in addressing water scarcity.
CITY OF CAPE TOWN’S RESPONSES TO THE DROUGHT
Activists from the Water Crisis Coalition (WCC) petitioned the city manager of the City of Cape Town regarding the city’s responses to the drought. They made claims that the city’s approach tothe drought, including the concept of “Day Zero,” was flawed and used to justify the rapid privatisation of water. The activists demanded an end to desalination plants, recycling of water for sanitation, recharging of aquifers, removal of water management devices, among other things. They argued against the privatisation of water and services, advocating for a just, equitable, and sustainable water plan controlled by the community.
THE COMMONS, NEOLIBERALISM, AND PRIVATISATION
The activists framed the water crisis as a strategic move by the City of Cape Town and big- business partners to further a privatisation agenda. They argued that the crisis, along with measures such as tariff increases and desalination plants, were part of a neoliberal strategy to promote the commodification of water. Drawing on Marxist theoretical arguments, they highlighted how capitalist accumulation functions through dispossession and privatisation of common resources. The WCC’s assertion that conservation measures were a violation of constitutionally enshrined rights to water and a moral economy based on water as a public good resonated with Naomi Klein’s concept of “disaster capitalism,” where shocks are exploited to facilitate privatisation.
ACTIVIST DEMANDS AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
The WCC’s petition included a list of demands such as the eradication of alien vegetation, fixing leaks in infrastructure, employing unemployed plumbers through public works schemes, and more efficient irrigation methods in agriculture. The activists emphasised the importance of water as a creation of the universe and pushed for it to be considered part of the national and international commons. They called for a just, equitable, and sustainable water plan controlled by the community. The community members in Woodstock and Rylands also expressed concerns about the city’s water conservation measures and their impact on constitutionally enshrined rights to water and a moral economy based on water as a public good.
CONCLUSION
The activists from the WCC highlighted the flaws in the City of Cape Town’s response to the drought, framing it as a strategy for privatisation. They drew on theoretical arguments about neoliberalism, privatisation, and the commodification of water to support their claims. Their demands and calls for community involvement underscored the importance of water as a common resource and the need for a just, equitable, and sustainable water plan controlled by the community. The resistance against privatisation and the defence of water as a public good were central themes in their activism.
