22/07/2026
Water scarcity is about far more than pipes, taps and reservoirs. At the Food Indaba 2026 Global South Webinar, we heard how cities like Bengaluru, Mossel Bay, Tamale and Cape Town show that water access is shaped by everyday waiting, negotiation, gendered labour and social networks that keep life going when formal systems fail.
Key takeaways:
* Water access is not the same as water security. Even where households have access to treated water, unreliable supply can mean dependence on boreholes, tankers, water ATMs, storage and other coping strategies.
* Waiting has a cost. In Mossel Bay, residents organise their days around when water will flow, queues and low pressure, affecting cooking, food storage, meals and wellbeing.
* Water insecurity is deeply gendered. Women often carry much of the physical, cognitive and emotional labour of securing, storing and managing water for their households.
* Social networks are part of the infrastructure. Neighbours, families, politicians, NGOs and faith-based organisations all help communities negotiate access and create alternatives when formal systems fall short.
* Water shapes the city. In Tamale, access to reliable water influences property values and urban growth. In Langa, water, sanitation and stormwater requirements helped shape the architecture of a food market.
* Water and food systems are inseparable. Water availability affects how people cook, clean, store food, access food and earn livelihoods.
The overarching message was clear: infrastructure is never simply technical. It is social, political and deeply connected to food, health, dignity and urban inequality.
