On 1 January, a project with the Water Research Commission (WRC) was launched in Limpopo, South Africa. This project is entitled 'Adaptative response and local scale adaptation for improving water security and increasing resilience to climate change in selected communities in Giyani', and was awarded a subsidy of EUR 2,391,986 by the Government of Flanders. The subsidy is part of the Country Strategy Paper for development cooperation drawn up between Flanders and South Africa for the period 2017 to 2021.

South Africa is very vulnerable to extreme drought and climate change has a major impact on water resources. Vulnerable communities in particular are therefore faced with a constant water shortage. WRC, an entity of the South African Department of Water and Sanitation, has already conducted much research and numerous feasibility studies for adaptive solutions to the water problem.

The main goal of the project is to make local communities from Giyani climate resilient through developing water and energy facilities that both address water shortages and stimulate economic activity and growth.

Expert partners such as the Association for Water and Rural Development, Tsogang Water and Sanitation and the University of the Western Cape, are providing guidance for the project.