WRC

EXCITING NEWS!🥳

We’ve launched our brand-new WRC A WaterWise Nation TV commercial!

A WaterWise Nation is a national movement led by the Water Research Commission calling on every South African from industries to households to rethink, reduce, and respect water.

✅Build resilient businesses
✅Create water-smart homes & schools
✅Empower change through education
✅Protect our shared future

Keep your eyes peeled on DSTV for the two weeks.

Be part of the movement
Act Today, Sustain Tomorrow
wrc.org.za/a-water-wise-n…

#WRC #SaveWater #AWaterWiseNationTV #WaterCrisis #WaterSavingTips #WaterCrisis #SmartWaterHack #ActTodaySustainTomorrow

Team 1, SaltiStop, has emerged as the overall winner of the 2026 Wetskills Challenge, held alongside the 27th WaterNet/WARFSA/GWP-SA Symposium in Arusha, Tanzania. The winning team impressed the judges with its solution to “Halting the Salt: Mitigating Over-pumping-Induced Saltwater Intrusion in Coastal and Inland Aquifers” – a real-world challenge presented by the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), South Africa, as the case owner.

The challenge brought together emerging water professionals who spent approximately 10–12 days collaborating, exchanging knowledge and developing innovative solutions to pressing water and sanitation challenges.

In their addresses, Dr Tendai Sawunyama (a Board Member at the Water Research Commission) and Ms Nthabiseng Fundakubi (DDG at the Department of Water and Sanitation) highlighted the importance of regional collaboration, investing in young water professionals and translating research and innovation into practical solutions that advance Africa’s water security and climate resilience priorities.

The occasion also marked a significant milestone, with Tanzania hosting the 88th Wetskills edition and the first of its kind in Eastern Africa, opening new opportunities for regional collaboration and youth-led innovation in the water sector.

The WRC congratulates Team SsltiStop and all participating teams for their creativity, commitment and contribution. We also extend our appreciation to the Department of Water and Sanitation, WaterNet, Wetskills and our Tanzanian hosts for making this impactful initiative possible.

The challenge may be over, but the journey from innovation to implementation starts now. Together, let us turn knowledge into action and build a more water-secure and climate-resilient Africa.

#Wetskills #WaterNet2026 #WaterResearchCommission #WaterInnovation #YouthInWater #WaterSecurity #ClimateResilience

This morning in Arusha, the Wetskills Challenge Tanzania 2026 teams presented their innovative solutions to a panel of five judges, marking an exciting milestone in the two-week challenge.

Working in multidisciplinary and international teams, the participants pitched concepts addressing four real-world water challenges:

•Groundwater security: Mitigating saltwater intrusion caused by excessive groundwater pumping.
•Food and water security: Integrating indigenous and local knowledge with Western science to strengthen food security in the face of climate change – the challenge presented by the Water Research Commission (WRC).
•Climate-smart agriculture: Using historical crop water stress information to strengthen early-warning systems.
•Water and sanitation services: Reimagining service delivery through innovative and sustainable business solutions.

The pitches were adjudicated by a panel of five judges bringing multidisciplinary expertise and experience across the water, engineering, environmental and innovation sectors.

During the presentations, teams were challenged to demonstrate the practicality, economic viability and long-term sustainability of their proposed solutions, while showing how their ideas could translate into meaningful impact.

For WRC, the challenge provided an opportunity to engage emerging innovators in exploring how indigenous and local knowledge can complement scientific research to address pressing water and food security challenges.

The ideas have been presented, the judges have deliberated, and anticipation is building!

Who will emerge as the Wetskills-Tanzania 2026 winner? Join us at tonight's Gala Dinner in Arusha for the announcement of the winning team.

#Wetskills2026 #WetskillsTanzania #WaterInnovation #WaterSecurity #FoodSecurity #ClimateResilience #WRC

The Water Research Commission (WRC), represented by Mr John Dini, Research Manager: Water Governance, participated in the panel discussion “Creating the Conditions for Scale” during today’s open special session titled “From Innovation to Impact: Scaling Inclusive Water and Climate Solutions Across Eastern and Southern Africa,” convened by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI).

The panel brought together diverse perspectives from Ms Ntsebeng Dipudi (Department of Water and Sanitation), Dr Dennis Ch oruma (IWMI), Ms Likim yelesh Nigussie (IWMI), Mr John Dini (WRC), and Dr Lerato Phali (University of KwaZulu-Natal) to explore what it takes to translate water and climate innovations into sustainable, inclusive impact.

Discussions highlighted the importance of moving beyond the scale of interventions to examine who benefits, how opportunities are distributed and whether communities meaningfully participate in shaping solutions. Panellists also emphasised institutional accountability in the use of community-generated data, sustainable financing, supportive governance frameworks, local capacity development and community ownership as essential conditions for scaling innovations beyond project lifecycles.

The central message was clear: scaling inclusive water and climate solutions requires more than technological innovation. It demands sustained investment, strong local institutions and meaningful community participation to ensure that solutions respond to local realities and deliver equitable, lasting benefits.

#WaterResearchCommission #IWMI #WaterInnovation #ClimateResilience #InclusiveDevelopment

Yesterday afternoon, the Water Research Commission (WRC), in collaboration with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, convened a special session at the 27th WaterNet/WARFSA/GWP-SA Symposium to strengthen southern and eastern Africa’s contribution to the Global Dialogue on Water Tenure.

The session brought together experts from South Africa, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Mozambique to explore perspectives on water tenure, engage with the draft principles for its responsible governance, and identify shared priorities across the region.

Discussions highlighted the importance of recognising diverse water tenure systems, including customary arrangements, addressing the water tenure challenges faced by women, and understanding the links between water and land rights.

Through panel discussions and audience engagement, participants contributed African perspectives and key messages to inform the ongoing global dialogue towards more responsible and inclusive water governance.

#WRC #WaterTenure #WaterGovernance #WaterNet2026 #SustainableWaterFutures