{"id":79176,"date":"2025-07-07T15:46:27","date_gmt":"2025-07-07T13:46:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/?page_id=79176"},"modified":"2026-08-19T18:51:38","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T16:51:38","slug":"about-the-arid-region-water-region-centre","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/index.php\/about-the-arid-region-water-region-centre\/","title":{"rendered":"About the Arid Region Water Region Centre"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"79176\" class=\"elementor elementor-79176\" data-elementor-post-type=\"page\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-7776631 elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-content-top elementor-section-stretched elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"7776631\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;stretch_section&quot;:&quot;section-stretched&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-no\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-d8d0886\" data-id=\"d8d0886\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e6b9509 elementor-widget__width-inherit elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"e6b9509\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/ARWRC-Banner-Landscape.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-79171\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/ARWRC-Banner-Landscape.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/ARWRC-Banner-Landscape-300x67.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/ARWRC-Banner-Landscape-1024x228.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/ARWRC-Banner-Landscape-768x171.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/ARWRC-Banner-Landscape-1536x342.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/ARWRC-Banner-Landscape-360x80.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/elementor\/thumbs\/ARWRC-Banner-Landscape-r8ernui0hyryainaj79xnggt3pq0u6ldx7nluafvz4.jpg 1800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\"><\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-19c68d9 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"19c68d9\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-aa8dec1\" data-id=\"aa8dec1\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c1dc24e elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"c1dc24e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-8313088 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"8313088\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-9e83f34\" data-id=\"9e83f34\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f1f1b37 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"f1f1b37\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><b> About the Arid Region Water Research Centre<\/b>\n<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-9a73d0d elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"9a73d0d\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-0322b9c\" data-id=\"0322b9c\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9d8ec6a elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"9d8ec6a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"195\" data-end=\"838\">The Arid Region Water Research Centre is a strategic initiative of Sol Plaatje University in partnership with the Water Research Commission (WRC), developed as part of the institution\u2019s desert studies research focus. The Centre forms part of a broader commitment to sustainable development in arid and semi-arid regions and aligns with national priorities on water security and climate resilience. Within this context, the Centre aims to conduct applied and regionally relevant research on water scarcity, management, and innovation, with outputs that deliver practical solutions and direct impact at community, policy, and stakeholder levels.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"840\" data-end=\"1262\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\">The Centre\u2019s research framework contributes to building a knowledge base for arid-region water systems, and is aligned with national research agendas focusing on resource sustainability, adaptation, and resilience. It will serve as a platform for data generation, capacity building, and collaboration to inform decision-making and drive sustainable water practices in some of South Africa\u2019s most water-stressed landscapes.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cd35553 elementor-widget elementor-widget-toggle\" data-id=\"cd35553\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"toggle.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toggle\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toggle-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-title-2151\" class=\"elementor-tab-title\" data-tab=\"1\" role=\"button\" aria-controls=\"elementor-tab-content-2151\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-toggle-icon elementor-toggle-icon-left\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-toggle-icon-closed\"><i class=\"fas fa-caret-right\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-toggle-icon-opened\"><i class=\"elementor-toggle-icon-opened fas fa-caret-up\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-toggle-title\" tabindex=\"0\">Goals of the Arid Region Water Research Centre<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-content-2151\" class=\"elementor-tab-content elementor-clearfix\" data-tab=\"1\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"elementor-tab-title-2151\"><ul><li style=\"text-align: justify;\">Conduct cutting-edge research on arid water systems, including hydrology, water conservation, and ecosystem management<\/li><li style=\"text-align: justify;\">Develop innovative technologies and methodologies for water harvesting and conservation, purification, and efficient utilization in arid environments<\/li><li style=\"text-align: justify;\">Facilitate knowledge exchange and collaboration among researchers, policymakers, and local communities to address water challenges effectively<\/li><li style=\"text-align: justify;\">Promote environmental stewardship and resilience-building initiatives to mitigate the impacts of climate change on water resources<\/li><li style=\"text-align: justify;\">Development of academic and training programmes focusing on water resources in arid environments<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toggle-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-title-2152\" class=\"elementor-tab-title\" data-tab=\"2\" role=\"button\" aria-controls=\"elementor-tab-content-2152\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-toggle-icon elementor-toggle-icon-left\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-toggle-icon-closed\"><i class=\"fas fa-caret-right\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-toggle-icon-opened\"><i class=\"elementor-toggle-icon-opened fas fa-caret-up\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-toggle-title\" tabindex=\"0\">The Arid Region Water Research at Sol Plaatje University<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-content-2152\" class=\"elementor-tab-content elementor-clearfix\" data-tab=\"2\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"elementor-tab-title-2152\"><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The establishment of an Arid Region Water Research Centre (ARWRC) at SPU is important for the Northern Cape Province due to the region&#8217;s unique challenges of water scarcity and arid conditions. As one of the driest regions in South Africa, the Northern Cape faces significant water-related issues, including droughts, limited water resources, and environmental degradation. To address these challenges requires specialised research, innovative solutions, and sustainable water management practices tailored to arid environments.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The work of the Centre looks to address these risks, analyze the vulnerabilities and assess the resilience within the different sectors within the UN Sustainability Development Goals. The Centre&#8217;s strategy aligns with national, provincial, and institutional strategies in terms of sustainability, science, innovation, and technology.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toggle-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-title-2153\" class=\"elementor-tab-title\" data-tab=\"3\" role=\"button\" aria-controls=\"elementor-tab-content-2153\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-toggle-icon elementor-toggle-icon-left\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-toggle-icon-closed\"><i class=\"fas fa-caret-right\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-toggle-icon-opened\"><i class=\"elementor-toggle-icon-opened fas fa-caret-up\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-toggle-title\" tabindex=\"0\">Key Focus Areas<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-content-2153\" class=\"elementor-tab-content elementor-clearfix\" data-tab=\"3\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"elementor-tab-title-2153\"><p>Considering the research niche areas identified by the Faculty, the Centre will focus on the following broad water research themes:<\/p><ul><li>Climate change<\/li><li>Water Resources and alternate sources (Groundwater)<\/li><li>Water Quality and Public Health (citizen science)<\/li><li>Water services (Water Supply, Sanitation and Wastewater Management)<\/li><li>Agricultural Water in Arid Environments (Water-Energy-Food Nexus)<\/li><li>Water socio-economic and Indigenous knowledge (academic-community-industry and public sector coordination<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-1ead363\" data-id=\"1ead363\" data-element_type=\"column\" 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href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/sol_plaatje_university\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/elementor\/thumbs\/Instagram_logo-q14xwsi2rd7rq4vwuez0cx685y2ntjd4ogvnrchkd4.png\" title=\"Instagram\" alt=\"Instagram\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-34aa078\" data-id=\"34aa078\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-9a4ebbb elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"9a4ebbb\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-3562ef5\" data-id=\"3562ef5\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7066e08 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"7066e08\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>About the Arid Region Water Research Centre The Arid Region Water Research Centre is a strategic initiative of Sol Plaatje University in partnership with the Water Research Commission (WRC), developed as part of the institution\u2019s desert studies research focus. The<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_header_footer","meta":{"footnotes":""},"folder":[],"coauthors":[280],"class_list":["post-79176","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/79176","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79176"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/79176\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":102563,"href":"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/79176\/revisions\/102563"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79176"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/folder?post=79176"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.spu.ac.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=79176"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}