In a bid to develop appropriate and relevant research and technology capabilities to address challenges in the water sector, the Department of Water Affairs (DWA) and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) signed a memorandum of understanding in December.

“At national level, strategic interventions are needed so that we can do things differently.

This requires a holistic response, as we have seen that a fragmented and isolated approach results in ineffective solutions,” DWA director-general Maxwell Sirenya has said.

The DWA and the CSIR will initially focus on selected thematic areas to enable more efficient and effective management of the country’s water resources. These include water security in terms of quantity and quality, infrastructure and integrated water resources planning, and sharing of knowledge and information through sectorwide partnerships and collaboration.

Understanding the transdisciplinarity of the water management business, joint capacity building through active institutional collaboration, as well as holistic and inte- grated management and governance, were also identified as points of importance.

“South Africa’s water situation presents us with an enormous range of opportunities. In this regard, the multidisciplinary nature of the CSIR allows us to draw from a wide range of skills and expertise in the field of water management. “Through this partnership, we hope to develop an integrated and multidiscipli- nary solution to contribute to the equitable, efficient and sustainable use of water to ensure that South Africa attains its social and economic growth and development aspirations,” CSIR CEO Dr Sibusiso Sibisi indicated.

The two parties would undertake collabo- rative research work that would include diverse skills in terms of water science and catchment management; systems modelling and economic and social sciences; development of decision-support tools to inform integrated planning frameworks, strategies and policies; spatial planning initiatives and innovation; as well as building and construction innovation.