Globally, rivers, lakes and groundwater face complex anthropogenic water quality alterations posing risks to human health, food security and ecosystems. The World Water Quality Alliance (WWQA) forms an open, global consortium, pooling expertise on water quality science and technology innovation and providing a participatory platform for water quality assessments and co-designing tailored and demand-driven services. It addresses priority topics relevant to water governance, scalable water solutions and emerging issues in water management.

Despite majority of the terrestrial fresh water resources being groundwater, there still exists a public perception that the only source of potable water is from surface water bodies. Due to this misperception, the general public is often ignorant about the importance of groundwater as a resource. This is evident in the lack of appreciation for the Upper and Lower Fountains in Pretoria as the main reason for various historical events in and around Pretoria, leading to it eventually becoming the capital of South Africa.

Mabenge B; Famah FIB

For years hydrogeologists have bemoaned the fact the groundwater is often pushed aside in favour of surface water resources being developed for water supply purposes. This is despite the advantages of groundwater being less vulnerable to the impact of drought, generally significantly cheaper to develop and being ubiquitous in character.