Facing the groundwater threats and opportunities in Southern Africa

This week, regional and international water experts have converged on Johannesburg at the 1st Groundwater Conference of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). The event has been convened by the SADC Groundwater Management Institute (GMI) in assocciation with a number of partners including GRIPP

UPGro has a strong presence at the event as part of the build-up to Africa Water Week next month, in Gabon:

• Opening Keynote: Karen G. Villholth (GroFutures) and Jude Cobbing.
  “Adapting to Climate Change in the SADC Region – A Focus on Groundwater.”
• Presentation: Theresa Mkandawire (Hidden Crisis) presented “An analysis of hand pump boreholes functionality in Malawi.”
• Keynote speaker: Alan McDonald. (Hidden Crisis/GroFutures) “Resilience of rural
  groundwater supplies to climate change”
• Presentation: Thokozani Mtewa,Evance Mwathunga and Wapulumuka Mulwafu.
  (Hidden Crisis) “They gave us breakfast and a good meal’: Roles, perceptions and
  motivations of water point area mechanics in the maintenance of borehole handpumps in Balaka district, Malawi.”
• Keynote speaker: Dr Callist Tindimugaya “Groundwater and African National Development Strategies”

You can follow the conference on Twitter: #gwconference2018

photo : Prof Theresa Makandawire presenting UPGro Hidden Crisis work in Malawi (credit BGS via Twitter)