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Monday, 9th October, 2023

KOBWA participated in the 10th SADC River Basin Organisations/Shared Watercourse Institutions Workshop

KOBWA team at the 10th RBOs_SWIs Workshop

The Komati Basin Water Authority (KOBWA) participated in the 10th SADC River Basin Organisations / Shared Watercourse Institutions (RBOs/SWIs) Workshop that was held from the 2nd to 4th of October 2023 in the Republic of Mozambique. The workshop was hosted by the Ministry of Public Works, Housing, and Water Resources (MOPHRH) and was conducted in a hybrid format, with a physical gathering.

KOBWA Representative, Ms. Khethiwe Ngcobo sharing KOBWAs experiences on inclusive drought and flood forecasting & early warning systems

The workshop themed "Promoting water security through inclusive transboundary conjunctive management and development of water resource" aimed to foster the exchange of ideas that will facilitate more effective transboundary water resources planning, development, and management in the region while ensuring environmental sustainability and resilience. Additionally, it aimed to improve regional water security, reduce poverty, and strengthen regional integration, economic productivity, and industrialization. The event also intended to support the establishment, institutional development, and strengthening of RBOs/SWIs, along with other transboundary water resource development and management mechanisms in the SADC region.

KOBWA Representative Ms. Colisile Nhlabatsi explaining how KOBWA operates to other attendees of the workshop

RBOs and SWIs shared their experiences and lessons on strategies of development and implementation of transboundary projects and programmes, best practices on establishing flood forecasting and early warning systems (FFEWS) and decision support systems (DSS) in the SADC region, approaches and lessons learned in the development of RBO information management systems. On the sidelines of the workshop, KOBWA and the Southern African Development Community - Groundwater Management Institute (SADC-GMI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to foster sustainable water development and management in the KOBWA basin.

KOBWA CEO Mr. Trevor Shongwe signs MOU while SADC-GMI Engineer James Sauramba looks on

Executive Director of SADC-GMI, Engineer James Sauramba said "we have registered another milestone in our endeavour to integrate groundwater into the river basin structures". While in his words of appreciation, KOBWA CEO Mr. Trevor Shongwe noted that "when water in the dams dries out, people then see the need to venture into groundwater basis. Hence, this MOU will help us to gain the necessary expertise and collaboration so that we are well equipped as we undertake the assignment of understanding our aquifers. It's a long journey that we look to benefit from, and we believe it's going to be a good and long working relationship".