Water Security in Africa (WASA)
Ensuring a sustainable water supply is among the key challenges in Southern Africa. This requires innovative water technologies, adapted infrastructure, and proactive management concepts. The Water Security in Africa (WASA) program is closely working with African partners to develop viable solutions for securing water supply and managing wastewater. For example, these include developing a national water reuse strategy in Namibia and creating a hydrological model system to assess the risk of extreme weather events in South Africa.
As a result of the German Federal Government's Round Table "Creating Prospects in Africa", the "Water Security in Africa (WASA)" program was launched. It was developed in a joint consultation process with African and German experts from academia and practice. On the German side, the program's development was led by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR) and involved six other German federal ministries and their subordinate institutions.
WASA is part of the BMFTR strategy "Research for Sustainability" (FONA). On a broader scale, the program aims to significantly contribute to the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda (Sustainable Development Goals — SDGs) and to national and regional adaptation plans and strategies. The African Ministers' Council on Water (AMCOW) and the relevant water ministries provide guidance and support for the implementation of the program. For example, the Water Research Commission in South Africa has earmarked corresponding funding.
Seven joint projects bring together research institutions, companies, and other stakeholders to develop and demonstrate innovative processes, products, and services for the water sector under real-life conditions. Participating countries are Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, South Africa, and Tanzania.
The German-African cooperation projects were launched in May 2024. They address critical challenges for water security.
Thematic Field 1: Sustainable Water Resources Management
- SeeKaquA: Semi-Airborne Electromagnetic Exploration of Kalahari’s Aquifers, Africa
Contact: Dr. Raphael Rochlitz, LIAG Institute for Applied Geophysics (LIAG) & Dr. Josefina Hamutoko, University of Namibia
www.liag-institut.de/forschung/projekte/seekaqua.html - WaMiSAR: Sustainable and Climate Adapted Water Management in Mining in the Southern African Region
Contact: Prof. Dr. Stefan Norra, University of Potsdam & Dr. Martin Schneider, Desert Research Foundation of Namibia
www.wamisar.info/index.php
Thematic Field 2: Water Infrastructure and Water Technology
- MAMDIWAS: Making Mining-Influenced Water a Driver for Change to Improve Water Security in South Africa
Contact: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Stefan Panglisch, University of Duisburg-Essen & Prof. Dr. Richard Moutloali, University of South Africa
www.uni-due.de/zwu/mamdiwas.php - NEU-Water: Nature Engineered Urban Design for Water Recycling and Reuse
Contact: Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Dickhaut, HafenCity University Hamburg & Assoc. Prof. Kevin Winter, University of Cape Town
www.hcu-hamburg.de/research/forschungsgruppen/reap/neu-water - WaReNam: Multi-Scale Water Reuse Strategy for Namibia: Technology, Governance and Capacity Development
Contact: Dr.-Ing. Martin Zimmermann, Institute for Social-Ecological Research (ISOE) & Maria Amakali, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform (MAFWLR)
www.warenam.net
Thematic Field 3: Hydrological Forecasts and Management of Hydrological Extremes
- Co-HYDIM-SA: Co-Design of a Hydrometeorological Information System for Sustainable Water Resources Management in Southern Africa
Contact: Prof. Dr. Andreas Fink, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology & Prof. Dr. Gizaw Mengistu Tsidu, Botswana International University of Science and Technology
cohydimsa.imk-tro.kit.edu/index.php - WaRisCo: Water Risks and Resilience in Urban-Rural Areas in Southern Africa – Co-Production of Hydro-Climate Services for an Adaptive and Sustainable Disaster Risk Management
Contact: Dr. Sophie Biskop, Friedrich Schiller University Jena & Prof. Dr. Francois Alwyn Engelbrecht, University of the Witwatersrand
www.chemgeo.uni-jena.de/en/31075/warisco
The WASA program started with an initial phase in southern Africa covering the period 2021-2023. Information on the 13 initial phase projects can be found here. Below is an overview of the final reports.
Cross-disciplinary support is also available under the TWAS-DFG Cooperation Visits Programme for short-term research stays (up to three months) for African postdoctoral researchers in Germany. For further information, please refer to the program website.
Final Reports of WASA Initial Phase Projects
- Co-HYDIM-SA (Co-design of a Hydro-Meteorological Information System for Sustainable Water Resources Management in Southern Africa)
- CoSMOS (Development of a Community-Based Sustainable Water Management and Observation System)
- ECWASA (Innovative Water Infrastructure Management to Increase Water Security for Civilians, Economy & Agriculture in Southern Africa)
- FIUWA (Frugal Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Water 4.0 in Africa)
- KreATiw (Climate Resilience, Sanitation and Water Safety)
- MAMDIWAS (Membrane-Based Decentralized Reclamation of Acid Mine Drainage for Improvement of Water Security and Mitigation of Environmental Impacts in Southern Africa)
- MiWaSec (Mining and Water security: Development and Implementation of Innovative Strategies for the Prevention and Remediation of Mining-Related Damage to Critical Water Resources in Southern Africa)
- MultiReWas (Multifunctional Strategies for Resilient Water Security in the Eastern Erongo Region)
- NEU Water (Nature Engineered Urban Design for Water Recycling & Reuse); NEU Water Annex 1
- OWASA (Open Science to Support Local Water Security in Southern Africa)
- SusTraL (Sustainable Resource Management to Ensure Water Security in the Limpopo River Basin: An Initiative for a Transboundary Hydro-Economic Model)
- WaMiNa (Sustainable and Climate Adapted Water Management in Mining Industry of Namibia and Neighbouring Countries)
- WaReNam (Multi-Scale Water Reuse Strategy for Namibia)
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