Water experts have been increasingly pressured to think outside the box to devise solutions to help South Africa deal with its water crisis.

The Water Research Commission (WRC) is one body in particular that has contributed significantly to coming up with innovative solutions to these challenges and has also been awarded for producing noteworthy leadership on projects that has helped curb the effects of the drought on residents.

The WRC’s CEO Dhesigen Naidoo was recently awarded the Africa Water Leadership Award in Mauritius earlier this month.

The WRC said it was Naidoo’s “leadership style” that won him the award.

“The water sector in South Africa and Africa are proud of Dhesigen’s nomination to receive such a prestigious award,” the WRC said.

It added that Naidoo’s award recognised leaders who could “steer their businesses through turbulent times”, while also being able to apply “the best of business modules to manage and keep their missions afloat”.

The criteria considered for this award was based on the impact Naidoo’s leadership had on the lives of others within the water sector and the quality of the WRC’s research outputs, as well as its global reach and ability to contribute to social change.

The Africa Leadership Awards honours achievers, super achievers and future business leaders in the industry. It also attracts “the best of the best from Africa,” the WRC said.

Naidoo received the award for outstanding leadership, management skills, professionalism and vision in leading his organisation to make a difference and achieve innovative results.

“Although the award is the highlight for the Water Research Commission, it is also a highlight for the continent of Africa,” it added.

Importance of expanding cross-border partnerships

Naidoo explained that he believed strongly in the expansion of cross-border partnerships.

“Phenomena like climate change have no respect for national boundaries,” he said. “In fact, 60% of South African rivers are shared with our neighbouring countries.”

This spoke to the need for global partnerships that would help eradicate present global water assurance challenges.

The World Economic Forum has over the past few years included water as one of the top risks for business. Naidoo said that he saw this as “a positive step in educating nations and their respective industries on their water footprint”.

The WRC is one of 13 members of the Global Water Research Coalition which operates on a mandate of information sharing and collaboration to drive the water deficit down, leading to a surplus on a global scale.