On December 10, 2021, the Government of Flanders awarded a subsidy of 2,391,986 euros to the Water Research Commission (WRC) for the project 'Adaptative response and local scale adaptation for improving water security and increasing resilience to climate change in selected communities in Giyani' in Limpopo, South Africa. The subsidy is part of the country strategy paper for development cooperation, which Flanders concluded with South Africa and which runs from 2017 to 2021.
South Africa is very vulnerable to extreme drought. Climate change has a major impact on water resources. Vulnerable communities in particular are faced with a constant water shortage. WRC, an entity of the South African Ministry of Water and Sanitation, has already conducted many studies and feasibility studies for adaptive solutions to the water problem.
The main goal of the project is to make local communities from Giyani climate resilient. This is done by developing water and energy facilities that both address water shortages and stimulate economic activity and growth.
Expert partners, namely the Association for Water and Rural Development, Tsogang Water and Sanitation and the University of the Western Cape, are also guiding the project.
© Photo WRC
