The project is being implemented at a wastewater treatment plant in the Eastern Cape province in south-east South Africa, the country’s second-largest province. In 2022, it had a population of 7.2 million. The economic centres and industrial locations of the region are the cities of Gqerberha (formerly Port Elizabeth) and East London. In addition to food production, the car manufacturers and suppliers based in the Eastern Cape play an important role in the global economy.

The climate in the region is Mediterranean in character, with hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters. The northern part of the province is higher and is characterised by semi-arid conditions, while the southern part is lower and has a large number of rivers and higher rainfall. Climate change is increasingly leading to extreme weather events throughout the region. On the one hand, the likelihood of heavy rainfall and flooding is increasing and, on the other, long periods of drought with ever shorter return intervals are becoming more regular.  The province’s water supply, which is mainly based on dams, is vulnerable to periods of drought.  In various areas of the region, the water supply has had to be repeatedly switched off or reduced in recent years. Furthermore, water quality is also steadily declining, which can be attributed to refurbishment backlog in waterworks and pipe networks, among other things. The unreliable energy supply and extreme weather conditions are contributing to intensifying the challenges.