Conference Theme

Definition: Building and strengthening capacity in the South African water sector has long been a national priority. Empowered professionals—and informed, engaged citizens—are essential to securing a sustainable water future.

But capacity development sits at the intersection of several complex challenges: addressing immediate skills shortage while anticipating future demands; attracting and preparing new entrants to the sector while upskilling or reskilling current professionals; and ensuring that the broader public is brought along as active partners in ensuring water security. Citizen science and citizen-led initiatives are particularly important in bridging the divide between water sector practitioners and society and driving co-engaged ownership of water challenges.

To meet these challenges, we need a coordinated, agile, and forward-looking skills and capacity ecosystem. The Rethink Capacity stream at WISA 2026 will serve as a convening space for organisations and individuals driving innovation in this space. We invite participants to share research, case studies, lessons learned, and collaborative – including citizen-led – approaches that can shape a stronger, more capable water sector workforce.

Subtopics:

• Capacity building and stakeholders: Upskilling the water workforce, empowering municipalities, and building institutional capabilities.
• Citizen science: Enabling community participation in data collection, monitoring, and advocacy.
• Entrepreneurship: Catalyzing water-related social enterprises, start-ups, and youth-led innovations.

Guiding Questions:

• How can we build a dynamic, future-ready skills pipeline for the water sector?
• What role can citizen science and community engagement play in capacity building?

Keywords: Capacity development, citizen science, water literacy, skills gap, workforce planning, training, co-creation, entrepreneurship.

Definition: Infrastructure must evolve to withstand population growth, resource scarcity, and climate shocks. South Africa’s water infrastructure is under mounting pressure from ageing systems, increasing demand, and climate uncertainty. Securing our water future demands more than upgrades — it requires a fundamental rethinking of how we design, build, operate, and maintain water and sanitation systems.

This subtheme invites innovative thinking around potable water treatment, wastewater management, sanitation systems, sludge handling, membranes, and water reuse technologies. Equally important is the integrated design of decentralized, fit-for-purpose, and circular systems that reflect both urban and rural realities.

Subtopics:

• Potable water and wastewater treatment technologies
• Sanitation system resilience and innovation
• Sludge and biosolids management
• Membrane applications and water reuse
• Integrated design thinking for future-proof infrastructure

Guiding Questions:

• What does future-fit water infrastructure look like?
• How can we design infrastructure that is adaptable to climate, social and technological changes?

Keywords: Infrastructure renewal, decentralisation, reuse, membranes, sludge management, circular economy, integrated design, wastewater treatment technologies, water treatment technologies.

Definition: Finance is a critical bottleneck for water infrastructure delivery. Sustainable water services depend not only on engineering excellence but also on sound financial and organisational systems. Yet many service providers face structural and institutional challenges that hinder effective delivery.

This subtheme invites a re-evaluation of the finance and governance ecosystems that underpin water services. This includes blended finance, inclusive business models, and smart financial management to ensure sustainable investment across diverse contexts—from cities to informal settlements. We welcome case studies and analyses on innovative financing mechanisms, blended finance models, PPPs, institutional reform, cost recovery, and affordability strategies.

Subtopics:

• Climate finance, performance-based contracts, and social impact bonds
• PPPs, utility governance, municipal financial health
• Tariff structures, pro-poor strategies, and affordability
• Digital finance: mobile billing, AI-based revenue analytics
• ESG-aligned investment and corporate stewardship

Guiding Questions:

• What financial innovations can improve water service delivery?
• How can partnerships and institutional reforms improve service sustainability?

Keywords: Finance, PPPs, affordability, cost recovery, blended finance, infrastructure investment, institutional reform, tariff structures, digital finance, contracts.

Definition: Water efficiency is no longer optional — it is a strategic imperative. Efficiency across the water cycle maximizes limited resources. From municipalities to mines, farms to factories, improving water productivity and reducing losses is critical to achieving water security.

This subtheme focuses on cross-sectoral water conservation and demand management, including non-revenue water reduction, smart metering, reuse, and circular economy practices.

Subtopics:

• Non-revenue water and urban resilience
• Agricultural water use and excreta flow diagrams
• Water footprints and circular water systems

Guiding Questions:

• What are the most effective tools and practices for reducing water losses?
• How can water users across sectors adopt a shared responsibility for efficiency?

Keywords: Non-revenue water, water conservation, smart metering, circular economy, leakage management, reuse, excreta flow diagrams, water use.

Definition: Digitalisation is reshaping how we monitor, manage, and optimise water systems. Data and digital tools (including mathematical models, real-time sensors, predictive analytics and AI-driven infrastructure planning) are essential for real-time management, predictive modelling, and adaptive decision-making.

This subtheme explores the application of Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies across the water sector: IoT, big data, remote sensing, machine learning, digital twins, and more. Innovations that improve accessibility, decision-making, and transparency are particularly welcome.

Subtopics:

• Mathematical models, digital twins and process simulation
• Smart sensors, remote sensing, and participatory platforms
• AI and model-based decision support systems
• 4IR in multidisciplinary planning

Guiding Questions:

• How can digital tools improve efficiency, governance, and resilience in water systems?
• What are the barriers to digital uptake in the sector, and how can they be overcome?

Keywords: 4IR, digital water, IoT, big data, AI, remote sensing, digital twins, smart infrastructure, mathematical model, machine learning, virtual platforms, process simulation.

Definition: South Africa and the region face intensifying hydrological extremes, including more intense droughts, floods, and climate variability. These events threaten both supply and infrastructure, demanding a paradigm shift in how we build resilience and plan for uncertainty.

This subtheme highlights climate adaptation, alternative water sources, and ecosystem-based approaches to protect water security and human livelihoods. It calls for solutions that blend engineering with ecology — including nature-based solutions, aquifer recharge, flood management, and diversification of water sources.

Subtopics:

• Flood and drought resilience strategies
• Nature-based solutions for water storage and filtration
• Alternative sources: desalination, rainwater harvesting, atmospheric water generation

Guiding Questions:

• How can we design water systems that withstand and adapt to climate variability?
• What role do nature-based and unconventional water sources play in future water security?

Keywords: Climate resilience, drought, flood, nature-based solutions, aquifer recharge, climate adaptation.

Definition: Effective water governance underpins the entire water value chain. Yet systems in Southern Africa often face fragmentation, overlapping mandates, and limited accountability.

This subtheme revisits the political, social, economic, and administrative dimensions of water governance. Contributions are welcome on topics involving institutional reform, regulatory effectiveness, implementation bottlenecks, monitoring frameworks and inclusive decision-making to enhance governance accountability across public and private actors.

Subtopics:

• Water use licensing and compliance
• Blue/Green/No Drop programmes and data transparency
• Regulatory reform, procurement, and service delivery barriers

Guiding Questions:

• How can governance structures be made more inclusive, transparent and accountable?
• What institutional innovations are enabling better water outcomes?

Keywords: Governance, institutions, regulation, accountability, decision-making, policy reform, equity, Green drop, Blue drop, data transparency, procurement, service delivery.

Definition: Water security is about more than volume — it is also about quality. Contaminated or over-abstracted water sources undermine both human health and ecosystem integrity.

This subtheme explores tools and strategies for monitoring and improving surface and groundwater quality while protecting quantity through integrated resource management. It includes focus on topics such as integrated surface and groundwater management, pollution control, ecological protection, and monitoring of emerging contaminants.

Subtopics:

• Water quality for domestic use
• Surface and groundwater contamination management
• Laboratory and monitoring capacity
• Erosion, land use, and water quality degradation

Guiding Questions:

• How can water quality and quantity be managed together at catchment scale?
• What tools or governance mechanisms are needed to protect water resources?

Keywords: Water quality, water quantity, catchment management, emerging contaminants, source protection, ecological health, erosion, land use, groundwater, surface water management.