Promoting the adaptive capacity of rural communities to climate change through Holistic Catchment Management: A case study of groundwater dependent communities in two catchments “SPRING 4 LIFE (UMTHOMBO WEMPILO)”

The vitality of groundwater as a critical resource in rural communities stems from the inherent challenges municipalities face in providing adequate water needs to these communities. The most notable of these challenges are most rural communities’ spatial inequalities and the rural municipalities’ financial constraints. The sustainability of groundwater as a rural livelihood resource is threatened by climate change, resulting in longer recovery periods. Non-climatic factors like population growth and land use change also affect water security in these communities.