Now in its 41st year, the Water Research Commission (WRC) continues to vigorously pursue its vision to be South Africa’s premier water knowledge resource. Water&Sanitation Africa speaks to Dhesigen Naidoo, CEO of the WRC about the its five-year strategic plan that focuses on the period 2012/13 to 2016/17,which is in line with new Treasury directives.

“The water milieu has entered an exciting period, both nationally and internationally, with looming uncertainties around issues such as climate change and its potential effect on water resources and the persistent need to provide sustainable services to a growing, urbanising population while pursuing a greener economy. The WRC itself is seeing a number of changes, including the appointment of a new CEO and board, among others. Thus, the commission has organised its strategic plan to respond very directly to the challenges outlined through its various mechanisms and instruments,” says Naidoo.

The WRC remains committed to arming the South African water sector with the right

technology, capacity and skill to tackle its present and future challenges through, among others, a meaningful contribution to coordination, cooperation and communication in the area of water research and development, as well as enhancing knowledge and capacity building in the water sector, and promoting the effective transfer of information and technology.

Specifically, the WRC will use its capabilities to support the Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs in ensuring the outcome of “environmental assets and natural resources that are well protected and continually enhanced”, with the highest emphasis on the first output of “enhanced quality and quantity of water resources” and significant contributions of the water components of the other three. These being:

• reduced greenhouse gas emissions, climate change and improved air/atmospheric quality
• sustainable environmental management
• protected biodiversity.

This strategic plan is based on the South African government’s outcome-based approach, where the WRC strives for impact. The commission aims to support the various outcomes and outputs through its research portfolio. In addition, it continues to support the Department of Water Affairs (DWA) – the WRC’s shareholder – in its call for mainstreaming of water as the basis to allow for economic growth and sustainable development. The WRC strategic plan is designed to add value to the DWA’s actions to achieve its six strategic outcome oriented goals through the WRC’s research and development enterprise. The DWA six strategic goals are:

• to contribute to economic growth, rural development, food security and land reform
• to promote sustainable and equitable water resources management
• to strengthen the regulation of the water sector
• to support local government to deliver water services
• to contribute to international relations
• to build capacity to deliver services.

A fundamental part of the operations of the WRC at the beginning of its fifth decade is the

construct of the WRC Knowledge Tree

The commission’s Strategic Framework has been designed around the WRC Knowledge Tree with every project being designed to enable the achievement of as many of the tree ‘branches’ or outcomes as possible and reasonable. Among the core components of the WRC Knowledge Tree are to:

• inform policy- and decision-making
• create new products and services for economic development
• develop human capital
• empower communities
• support transformation and redress
• develop sustainable solutions

Key elements of the five-year plan

The five-year strategy has at its core the goal of contributing to the sustainable management of water for sustainable development achieving both economic growth and improved quality of life for all in South Africa.