SADC Groundwater Management Institute to host the 4th SADC Groundwater Conference

SADC Groundwater Management Institute to host the 4th SADC Groundwater Conference 01 November 2021, Pretoria, South Africa: The Systems thinking approach could innovatively contribute to a water-secure SADC region to mitigate the acerbating impacts of climate change.

The 4th SADC Groundwater Conference organized by the SADC Groundwater Management Institute (SADC-GMI) in collaboration with regional and international partners will focus on the Integration of Systems thinking approach into groundwater resources management for sustainable development.

The conference will be hosted virtually from 10 – 12 November 2021, under the theme “Towards a Water Secure SADC Groundwater Systems Thinking”.

Mr, James Sauramba, the SADC-GMI Executive Director said the 4th SADC Groundwater Conference is aimed at achieving four key objectives:

• Create a platform for key players in the water sector, specifically in groundwater, to collectively share knowledge, success stories and groundwater challenges that impact the region and the continent at large, while ensuring that the groundwater agenda is aggressively pitched.

• Enhance the community of practice amongst the groundwater practitioners, stakeholders, and professionals in the region to talk about groundwater, the resource that is underground, invisible yet indispensable

• Share emerging issues and innovations used in the groundwater and surface water to combat the growing impacts of climate change.

• Seek solutions through applied research for groundwater use and management in our region.

“The theme of this conference is quite significant because the future of resilience to the impacts of climate change is about addressing the holistic themes around water security which is found on conjunctive use of both groundwater and surface water, and the issue of resilience and groundwater is inseparable”, says Sauramba.

The 4th SADC Groundwater conference will discuss the systems thinking approach and how it could contribute to a water-resilient SADC region. The systems thinking offers solutions to some groundwater challenges, for example, (i) anticipating and adapting to climate change impacts on groundwater resources and dependent social-ecological systems (ii) allocating available water among competing consumptive and environmental water needs, especially at times of scarcity (iii) establishing the public's trust and acceptance of management decisions, and the credibility of underpinning science and (iv) building the adaptative capacity of individuals, communities and institutions to communicate, learn and self-adjust to respond timely to incremental and abrupt changes in resources conditions.

The 4th SADC Groundwater Conference will give a much-needed platform to raising awareness of the holistic management of groundwater and surface water resources in enhancing water and food security through Sustainable water resources Development in the SADC Region. During the 3-day conference, esteemed Keynote speakers and presenters will tackle the role of the Systems thinking approach through the 3 sub-themes and provide robust scientific solutions that will aid enhanced water and food security in the SADC region.

SADC-Groundwater Management Institute (SADC-GMI) is hosting the conference in collaboration with , International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), International Groundwater Resources Assessment Centre (IGRAC), The International Association of Hydrogeologists, Institute for Groundwater Studies (IGS), British Geological Survey (BGS), University of Botswana, University of Zambia, International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Groundwater Solutions Initiatives for Policy and Practice (GRIPP),