IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v13y2021i5p2502-d505993.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Window of Economic Opportunity or Door of Exclusion? Nandoni Dam and Its Local Communities

Author

Listed:
  • Ndidzulafhi Innocent Sinthumule

    (Department of Geography, Environmental Management and Energy Studies, Faculty of Science, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa)

Abstract

The construction of Nandoni Dam started in 1998 and was completed in 2005. The main promises made to affected communities living around the dam were that they would receive water and there would be economic opportunities for them. Water-based recreation and ecotourism at the dam were seen as the main vehicle for economic opportunities; it was envisaged that these would not only create local employment but would also improve local lives and livelihoods. The paper focuses on the rhetoric of economic opportunities and poverty alleviation and the perceived reasoning that the creation of the dam is the way forward for rural development. To achieve this aim, the study combined qualitative and quantitative methods. The claim that the creation of the dam would result in increased economic benefits for local residents is firmly rooted in business interests. The adoption of business or economic approach by government through the Department of Water and Sanitation has created conditions for segregation within society. The study also found that the creation of Nandoni Dam benefits those who are rich and elite, government officials, and politicians at the expense of the local population, and this has long-lasting detrimental impacts on their lives and livelihoods. The study concludes by giving an overview of lessons learned from the case study and suggestions for best practice that can enhance the long-term sustainability of dam projects.

Suggested Citation

  • Ndidzulafhi Innocent Sinthumule, 2021. "Window of Economic Opportunity or Door of Exclusion? Nandoni Dam and Its Local Communities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-15, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:5:p:2502-:d:505993
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/5/2502/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/5/2502/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Fadzilah Majid Cooke & Johan Nordensvard & Gusni Bin Saat & Frauke Urban & Giuseppina Siciliano, 2017. "The Limits of Social Protection: The Case of Hydropower Dams and Indigenous Peoples' Land," Asia and the Pacific Policy Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 4(3), pages 437-450, September.
    2. Sunardi & Budhi Gunawan & Jagath Manatunge & Fifi Pratiwi, 2013. "Livelihood status of resettlers affected by the Saguling Dam project, 25 years after inundation," International Journal of Water Resources Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(1), pages 25-34.
    3. Anthony Onwuegbuzie & Nancy Leech, 2007. "A Call for Qualitative Power Analyses," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 41(1), pages 105-121, February.
    4. M.J. Mokgoebo & T.A. Kabanda & Jabulani Gumbo, 2018. "Assessment of the Riparian Vegetation Changes Downstream of Selected Dams in Vhembe District, Limpopo Province on Based on Historical Aerial Photography," Chapters, in: Florin-Constantin Mihai & Adrian Grozavu (ed.), Environmental Risks, IntechOpen.
    5. Fadzilah Majid Cooke, Johan Nordensvard, Gusni Bin Saat, and Frauke Urban, "undated". "The Limits of Social Protection: The Case of Hydropower Dams and Indigenous Peoples' Land," Asia and the Pacific Policy Studies 201732, Crawford School of Public Policy, The Australian National University.
    6. Dian Sisinggih & Sri Wahyuni & Pitojo Juwono, 2013. "The resettlement programme of the Wonorejo Dam project in Tulungagung, Indonesia: the perceptions of former residents," International Journal of Water Resources Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(1), pages 14-24.
    7. Youliang Huang & Wensheng Lin & Shan Li & Yan Ning, 2018. "Social Impacts of Dam-Induced Displacement and Resettlement: A Comparative Case Study in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-18, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Andrea Schapper & Frauke Urban, 2021. "Large dams, norms and Indigenous Peoples," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 39(S1), pages 61-80, August.
    2. Ruilian Zhang & John R. Owen & Deanna Kemp & Guoqing Shi, 2022. "An applied framework for assessing the relative deprivation of dam‐affected communities," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(1), pages 176-190, February.
    3. Xu, Hongzhang & Pittock, Jamie & Daniell, Katherine, 2022. "‘Sustainability of what, for whom? A critical analysis of Chinese development induced displacement and resettlement (DIDR) programs," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    4. Giuseppina Siciliano & Linda Wallbott & Frauke Urban & Anh Nguyen Dang & Markus Lederer, 2021. "Low‐carbon energy, sustainable development, and justice: Towards a just energy transition for the society and the environment," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(6), pages 1049-1061, November.
    5. Castro-Diaz, Laura & García, María Alejandra & Villamayor-Tomas, Sergio & Lopez, Maria Claudia, 2023. "Impacts of hydropower development on locals’ livelihoods in the Global South," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    6. Navin Kumar & John Scott & Victor Minichiello, 2017. "Masculinity and the Occupational Experience of Male Independent Escorts Who Seek Male Clients," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 6(2), pages 1-14, June.
    7. John Bwalya & Cecil Seethal, 2016. "Neighbourhood context and social cohesion in Southernwood, East London, South Africa," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 53(1), pages 40-56, January.
    8. Fatoumata Fofana & Pat Bazeley & Antoine Regnault, 2020. "Applying a mixed methods design to test saturation for qualitative data in health outcomes research," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(6), pages 1-12, June.
    9. Julian Alexandrakis & Julia Hein & Jan Kratzer, 2022. "Living Labs and Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: A Symbioses Propelling Sustainable Innovation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-17, October.
    10. Izabela Luiza Pop & Anca Borza, 2016. "Factors Influencing Museum Sustainability and Indicators for Museum Sustainability Measurement," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(1), pages 1-22, January.
    11. Nigar G. Khawaja & Robert D. Schweitzer, 2024. "A Qualitative Study of Adolescents from Refugee Backgrounds Living in Australia: Identity and Resettlement," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 21(3), pages 1-15, February.
    12. Sally Ledwaba & Thobeka S. Nkomo, 2021. "An Exploration of Motivations for Women Mine Workers to Work Underground," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(3), pages 21582440211, July.
    13. Niklas Johansson & Eva Roth & Wiebke Reim, 2019. "Smart and Sustainable eMaintenance: Capabilities for Digitalization of Maintenance," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(13), pages 1-19, June.
    14. Siu-ming To & Ching-man Lam & Yuk-yan So, 2020. "A Qualitative Study of Rural-To-Urban Migrant Chinese Mothers’ Experiences in Mother-Child Interactions and Self-Evaluation," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 15(3), pages 813-833, July.
    15. Michael Crowe & Lorraine Sheppard, 2012. "Mind mapping research methods," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 46(5), pages 1493-1504, August.
    16. Md Rokonuzzaman & Zhihong Ye & Chuan Wu & Wai-Chin Li, 2023. "Arsenic Elevated Groundwater Irrigation: Farmers’ Perception of Rice and Vegetable Contamination in a Naturally Arsenic Endemic Area," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(6), pages 1-19, March.
    17. Sara Sousa & Anabela Botelho & Lígia M. Costa Pinto & Marieta Valente, 2019. "How Relevant Are Non-Use Values and Perceptions in Economic Valuations? The Case of Hydropower Plants," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-18, August.
    18. Büşra Ertuğrul & Dilek Özden, 2023. "Physical Restraint Experiences of Family Caregivers of Patients With Stroke in Turkey: A Qualitative Study," Clinical Nursing Research, , vol. 32(3), pages 499-509, March.
    19. William Baah-Boateng & Eric Twum, 2019. "Economic Complexity and Employment for Women and Youth: The Case of Ghana," Working Papers idrcdprughana, University of Cape Town, Development Policy Research Unit.
    20. Karabag, Solmaz Filiz, 2019. "Factors impacting firm failure and technological development: A study of three emerging-economy firms," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 462-474.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:5:p:2502-:d:505993. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.