The conference was hosted in Johannesburg, South Africa, during 26 – 28 September 2018.
We host our inaugural groundwater conference fully cognisant of the pressure that climate change bears on water resources. This is cause for serious concern, which also presents interesting challenges for groundwater stakeholders across the SADC region, where it is estimated that over 70% of the 250 million people living in the region rely on groundwater as their primary source of water. These challenges should urge us to find sustainable solutions to water security in the region.
We hope this conference will provide us with a platform to ponder more fruitfully about the exciting future ahead for groundwater in the region and contribute to the international discourse on groundwater. To this end the SADC-GMI and its partners encourage the water sector community in the SADC region to join hands in moving towards sustainable management of groundwater resources in view of the threat of climate change and a myriad of other challenges.
In a quest to bring diversity, we have reached out to the wider Southern African Development Community region and international water practitioners, this we believe will provide ample networking opportunities to share experiences, explore new partnerships and strengthen existing networks.
We are particularly grateful to our sponsors who have generously supported this event and made it a reality. Thank you for being part of the 1st SADC Groundwater Conference, hoping that we will see you again in the subsequent years as we continue to host this event.
