As President Ramaphosa warns of water shortages that will eclipse load-shedding as national emergency, the local and international experts gather at a global event to share innovative solutions to counter growing water challenges. 

Earlier this year, President Ramaphosa identified water shortages as a looming threat for the country. “Load shedding has been supplanted by the crisis of water security, which poses a similar if not greater threat to the quality of life and economic prospects of all South Africans,” he said at an ANC policy keynote in Khayelitsha in January. “Indeed, water is life and sanitation is dignity.”

As countries around the world grapple with the difficulties of providing water to their growing urban populations, water re-use is increasingly at the forefront of realistic alternatives to rapidly diminishing supplies of from existing water resources (largely surface and groundwater). Water re-use is the process of treating and reusing water from various sources for beneficial purposes. Using the latest technologies, wastewater can be treated to meet drinking water standards.

The 14th International Water Association (IWA) International Conference on Water Reclamation and Reuse is being held in Cape Town in March 2025. The event will bring together the world’s leading experts together with private sector and government to share the latest advancements in science, technology and best practice in the areas of water reuse and recycling.

The IWA is an open platform for innovators and adopters of new technologies and approaches to share ideas and solutions. IWA programmes develop research and projects focused on solutions for water and wastewater management, placing water on the global political agenda to influence regulation and policy making.

The event’s host is the Water Research Commission (WRC), South Africa’s premier water knowledge hub. The WRC informs policy and decision making; creates new products, innovation, and services; develops human capital in the water science sector; and explores sustainable solutions and deepens water research and development, in South Africa and across the developing world. 

“This event represents an opportunity to further cement Southern Africa’s leadership in addressing the pressing issue of water scarcity through innovative solutions,” says WRC CEO Dr JB Molwantwa. “For the water sector, the conference serves as a platform for innovation, collaboration, and knowledge sharing, which are vital to advancing the option of water reuse and ensuring sustainable water management both locally and globally.”

Like any technology, water reuse is of course not without its challenges. Foremost among these is widespread negative perception of reclaimed water and recycled products, particularly from human waste. Public education, acceptance and engagement in water reuse activities are key to fully deploying reuse and recovery strategies. 

Recent research funded by the WRC highlighted the importance of ensuring water reuse literacy and public participation in water reuse projects to facilitate acceptance of the technology. Here, South Africa already has an advantage. “Being a water scarce country, South Africa has been investigating the implementation of potable water reuse since the early 1970s,” explains WRC Research Manager Nonhlanhla Kalebaila. “In 2018, the Beaufort West Reclamation plant became one of the first in South Africa to produce drinking water directly from reclaimed wastewater. Since then, many other towns have followed suite, with the City of Cape Town exploring to build the world’s largest reuse facility as the most recent example.”

As important as public acceptance is the adoption of new technologies to increase the production of useable water from wastewater streams. “The future of water re-use needs to be integrated, with the use of AI and other advanced technologies becoming part of the implementation plan and critical strategy in addressing global water scarcity,” says Nonhlanhla Kalebaila. “These innovations not only focus on creating safe drinking water but also contribute to a more sustainable and circular approach to managing water resources.”

With its focus on technology, innovation and matching global solutions to local needs, the IWA Conference is not simply an important meeting of minds – it’s a critical platform for the strategy to address the water crisis President Ramaphosa warned of in Khayelitsha.