Martin Zimmermann

The model region of this research project is the Namibian part of the Cuvelai basin which is located in central northern Namibia. Approximately 50 % of the Namibian population, respectively 1 million people live in this area, which comprises only about 15 % of the country’s area. The region is characterized by seasonal alternations of drought during winter – Namibia is the most arid country in sub-Saharan Africa – and heavy rainfall during summer. The lack of perennial rivers and the salinity of the groundwater are a challenge for the regional water supply of the population.

A 150 km long canal provides the Cuvelai region with water from the Angolan Kunene River. This water is then distributed by a pipeline system. Population growth and migration into urban centres of the region will probably enhance the demand for water. At the same time, it is expected that the withdrawal of Kunene water on the Angolan side will grow as a result of socio-economical developments. These circumstances will presumably intensify the scarcity of water and the disparities between centre and periphery of the Cuvelai region, for example, because of the exclusion of segments of the population from adequate water supply. Furthermore this could lead to an increased competition for water use and binational dependencies between the upstream and the downstream riparian country. In addition, the complex of problems raises questions about the sanitary situation (due to insufficient waste water disposal), the food supply and for instance soil degradation (as a result of bad agricultural practice).

The aim of the research project is a comprehensive and holistic analysis of this regional water supply system with a focus on the manifold interdependencies between technology and space. Infrastructural systems like these have an effect on technology, economy and ecology, and also on social, political and institutional structures and are inseparably connected and interweaved with all of them. These infrastructural systems are determined by spatial and socio-economic conditions and processes and they also influence them. Especially in the water supply sector, the connections between spatial and infrastructural developments are exceptionally strong.

Disciplinary research approaches that only deal with separated and isolated impacts are not sufficient to cope with such a set of problems. Interviews with relevant regional stakeholders and methods of systems analysis allow a deeper insight into the interrelations of the system. This comprises the identification of the essential system components, the analysis of their interdependencies, the descrip-tion and simulation of the system’s behaviour as well as the identification of feedbacks and regulation mechanisms. An analysis of the stakeholder network will reveal to which extent the regional water supply management authority is able and/or willing to handle the described interrelations. Within the framework of a sensitivity analysis, multiple scenarios will be discussed, for instance varying the  constellations of stakeholders or the use of alternative water sources and technologies.

Based on these results, one purpose of this project is to answer the question how socio-technical systems can be managed in terms of sustainable development. The interdisciplinary research approach makes it easier to avoid or at least control external influences or unintentional secondary effects that can lead to substantial negative consequences. The operability of supply infrastructures is of crucial importance for the socio-economic development and welfare of a region as well as a nation on the whole.