Partners for Water grants subsidy to 6 innovative projects addressing water security abroad

Partners for Water has granted subsidies to 6 consortia that aim to enhance water security abroad with innovative solutions. This is the result of the third round of subsidies under the Partners for Water 2022-2027 programme. The scheme provides an opportunity for companies, knowledge institutions and NGOs in the water sector to research and test their approaches to sustainable water management. Discover the 6 innovative solutions below.

For the feasibility studies and pilot projects, the organisations that have been granted a subsidy will work in Portugal, Mexico, Ethiopia, Morocco, Egypt and Ghana.

1. Ecological breakwaters for a resilient coast (Mexico)

The Delft-based start-up ‘Reefy’ aims to address climate-change-induced challenges threatening the Mexican coastline and the Mesoamerican Reef. Their innovative solution, the ‘ReefBlock’, is a huge Lego-like block featuring a complex system of tunnels and can be assembled to form an underwater artificial reef. It serves not only as a foundation for reef growth but also as a submerged breakwater to protect the coastline. Reefy will undertake a detailed feasibility study in collaboration with local partners to assess the conditions and stakeholder interests, setting the groundwork for a future pilot project.

2. Enhanced water retention in building facades (Portugal)

Portugal is on the frontline of Europe’s climate change impacts and faces more extreme weather each year. Densely built areas exacerbate these effects, increasing flooding risks and indoor and outdoor temperatures. The Rainmate® systems project is set to research the feasibility of a passive, scalable technology for enhanced water retention in building facades. The water retained by this system is used to help mitigate heat in urban areas and provides a sustainable solution to the challenges posed by climate change.

Consortium: Blue Innovations B.V., Neoturf Espaços Verdes and Flax Sarl.

3. Hydroponic methods to combat soil salinity and water scarcity (Egypt)

The ProSal-Hydro project introduces a low-tech, low cost, open field hydroponic system (LTLCH) to enhance irrigation efficiency for smallholder farmers in the Nile Delta and to combat local salinisation. Vegetables will grow in shallow basins with their roots in the water, saving up to 80 to 90% of water compared to open field sprinkler irrigation systems. This allows for higher yields and consistent quality, and it is expected to be an affordable method with higher income for the farmer. With the funding from Partners for Water, the consortium will pilot the system in four locations in Egypt and aims to build local capacity to enhance the sustainable operations of the installed systems.

Consortium: Delphy B.V., The Salt Doctors B.V. and Plug ‘n’ Grow.

4. Accessible open data on agricultural water consumption monitoring (Morocco)

The Eleaf project addresses the issue of water shortages in the Tensift Basin, Morocco, that hinder local agricultural development. The consortium aims to empower local authorities and professionals without prior GIS experience with better tools for law enforcement, planning, monitoring and advising on water management by converting complex high-resolution geographical data on agricultural water consumption into user-friendly dashboards. This should result in enhanced decision-making and planning for agricultural water management.

Consortium: Eleaf and Resing

5. Three-part urban flood forecasting system (Ethiopia)

A consortium led by HKV will address the significant challenges in flood management that are faced by the local water authorities of Dire Dawa, Ethiopia, by implementing a three-part urban flood forecasting system. This innovative solution will utilise the rapid flood inundation model SFINCS, integrated with HydroMT, to better predict and understand the effects of floods. This approach not only provides valuable weather insights but also generates steering information for flood management, emergency response and adaptation measures.

Consortium: HKV, Deltares, the Dutch Red Cross, Tahmo and ICPAC.

6. Innovative community water treatment system (Ghana)

Element15, Climate Focus and Fix that Pump will demonstrate and improve a community water treatment system designed to retrofit existing water infrastructures in Ghana’s rural areas. Their innovative BAR treatment system delivers water that is safe for consumption without requiring energy to operate the process. During the pilot phase, the consortium aims to have the BAR system certified by the World Health Organization and to improve its sustainability through carbon credit market financing. To test the operational feasibility, the project will go through the entire validation and verification cycle of certifying the project for carbon credits.

Consortium: Element15, Climate Focus and Fix that Pump.

Would you like to participate in the next subsidy round?

The subsidy scheme aims to support innovative projects from entrepreneurs, knowledge institutions and NGOs in the Dutch water sector that improve water security abroad.
A new subsidy round will open in July. To be eligible, you can apply now for the mandatory intake interview.