In collaboration with the Danish Embassy, the WRC is developing a series of guidelines as part of the South African Strategic Water Sector Cooperation. The bilateral cooperation aims to contribute to the South African water sector through knowledge sharing of practical experiences by industry experts.

The WRC are hosting a workshop for one of the guidelines on conjunctive water use.

'Conjunctive water use, defined as the coordinated use of surface and groundwater, is considered one of the best options to improve assurance of water supply for the increasing water demands.'

Through conjunctive use, South Africa has the potential to build resilience against erratic weather patterns characterised by prolonged droughts and the late start of the wet season. The benefits that can be gained from conjunctive water use have not yet created a significant shift from a reliance on surface water to more investment into developing groundwater resources. Groundwater development in South Africa is still lagging, making up approximately 13 percent of the total national water supply

This project recognises the need to diversify and create a dynamic water resource portfolio. To support this, the project appraisal requirements such as option analysis, water requirements assessments, technical analysis, cost-benefit analysis, etc. processes need to be designed to include all potential sources and different water supply scheme configurations.

WORKSHOP DEBRIEF AVAILABLE