Conversations on Water
Interdisciplinary Conversations on Water
The inaugural series of Interdisciplinary Conversations on Water, hosted by WISER and Wits Water, brought together over 50 participants from across the University, creating a cross-disciplinary community of voices.
Why water needs many voices
Water touches every aspect of our daily lives - from showering first thing in the morning or grabbing a cup of coffee to get the day going, through to last thing in the evening for brushing one’s teeth. Yet behind the simple act of turning a tap lies a complex web of engineering, policy, ecology, chemistry, and social dynamics. The assumption that water will always flow when we need it is, as this series explores, far from guaranteed.
Understanding water's complexities requires breaking down the silos between disciplines. Each session paired a scientist with a social scientist or humanities scholar, creating conversations that neither could have had alone.
Nine conversations, countless connections
The series tackled water from different angles:
Water Extraction brought together Khuliso Masinde's groundwater recharge expertise with Lesego Loate's community-based research on water scarcity in Delmas.
Rivers in Joburg saw Andrew Thatcher and Mike Muller examine the Jukskei through psychological and governance lenses - as both drain and living river.
Water Infrastructure connected Precious Biyela's engineering insights on delivery systems with Mucha Musema's research on water scarcity in Harare.
Drought paired Bettina Malcomess's artistic exploration of dams with Jennifer Fitchett's climate science on variability and prediction.
Water and Law brought Tracy-Lynn Field's legal frameworks into conversation with Heidi Richards's chemistry insights.
Agricultural Water saw Kevin Harding's work on farming footprints and virtual water flows alongside Simone Dahms-Verster's research on emerging contaminants.
Joburg's Urban Waters featured Keith Breckenridge's analysis of mine-financed infrastructure in conversation with David Everatt's urban governance research.
The series concluded with Future Imaginings, a roundtable featuring Joni Bremner, Imraan Valodia, Craig Sheridan, and Sarah Nuttall envisioning water's tomorrow.
Building a water community
The conversations are building a new kind of water literacy at Wits - one that recognises water as simultaneously a molecule, a resource, a right, and a story we tell about ourselves.
Watch for future Interdisciplinary Conversations on Water.
