A new university research unit is committed to finding real-world solutions to South Africa’s ongoing water crisis.

The University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) has launched the Wits:H₂0 unit to bring together government, business, academia and civil society to ‘engage meaningfully’ on the crisis, reports Engineering News.

Wits:H₂O director Craig Sheridan said that while access to water is a natural and basic human right, water crises such as those experienced South Africa are human-made and ‘human action can solve them’.

Formerly known as the Centre in Water Research and Development, Wits:H₂O is supported by Wits School of Chemistry’s Heidi Richards and a network of more than 60 scholars and researchers from the fields of science, engineering, health sciences, humanities, commerce, law and education.

‘Decades of underinvestment in training and capacity building have left us with too few qualified engineers, hydrologists, water managers and sanitation experts,’ said Sheridan.

‘Wits:H₂O aims not just to conduct research, but to rebuild this essential skills base, while also to training and mentoring the next generation of professionals who will face the future of the increasing water challenges of our country and continent.’

23 September 2025
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