In the neighbourhoods along the Juan Angola Canal, a downpour is rarely without consequences. Streets can flood within minutes, and the city has spent years trying to bring urban growth back in step with the landscape. With phase 3 of Water as Leverage, this should take shape for the first time, with detailed designs and implementation roadmaps for paving stones, culverts and mangrove restoration. Furthermore, these plans are genuinely bankable and ready to implement.

What is Water as Leverage?

Water as Leverage (WaL) is a Dutch approach that reverses the usual sequence: rather than having a technical plan first and then looking for support and funding, this approach brings together knowledge, governance, financing, and communities from day one. In multidisciplinary teams of Colombian, Dutch, and international experts, early sketches grow into concrete designs ready for further development.

“It’s the integrated perspective – physical system, ecology, economy, employment, and financing – that makes WaL truly unique,” explains Michel Zuijderwijk from Witteveen+Bos. “You’re not only designing for water, but also for the city and its residents.” Witteveen+Bos is the lead partner of the Roots of Cartagena team, which has been working within the Water as Leverage Cartagena programme.

What is the current status of the WaL Cartagena programme?

During phase 1 which started in February 2023, these two teams explored Cartagena’s bottlenecks and opportunities regarding water and climate adaptation. This produced an initial city outlook and a selection of hotspots where water, public space, and quality of life intersect. At the end of this phase, eleven concepts were on the longlist.

During phase 2, beginning at the end of September that year, this was narrowed down to five serious project candidates and technically underpinned to pre-feasibility. Five local design workshops with local stakeholders proved decisive: specific areas of the Juan Angola Canal were given the green light to continue towards a third phase, with nature-based measures and practical interventions that are easy to scale up.

Colombian delegation’s visit to the Netherlands: three lessons

As the kick-off for the third and final phase of this programme, a Colombian delegation visited the Netherlands to look at waterworks, nature-inclusive projects, and maintenance regimes, such as the Sand Engine near Kijkduin (beach nourishment as coastal protection), Benthemplein Water Square in Rotterdam (urban water storage), and the Marker Wadden islands (nature restoration built with dredged sediment). Wilmer Iriarte Restrepo, Cartagena’s Secretary of Infrastructure, named several key insights to take into the next phase:

• Link flood resilience to public space.
  “Look at flood resilience and public space as one entity. Maintenance thus becomes logical and you create pleasant places that residents actually use.”
• Let nature do the work.
  “From ‘sand motor’ to sluices: harness natural processes and the topography to filter and direct water. Not dogmatically, but flexibly: what works here may work differently elsewhere.”
• Keep solutions simple and scale them up.
  “Sometimes the best intervention is to give streets a little more slope and install a narrow gutter in the drainage system. Simple in itself, but if applied a thousand times, the cumulative impact is substantial.”

This down-to-earth view aligns with the WaL method: nature-based solutions where possible, hard interventions where necessary. “NBS are never one-size-fits-all,” says Zuijderwijk. “They are context-specific; that’s precisely why you always design together with the place in question.”

The next phase: feasibility studies for the Juan Angola Canal

One project has been selected within WaL Cartagena to proceed to feasibility studies in phase 3: the Juan Angola Canal. The WaL Project Proposal concerns flood resilience and quality of life, upstream and downstream, and is well aligned with local needs and plans. It roughly entails the following:

• Along Juan Angola, the bank would be gradually transformed into a continuous city park. The canal would be given room to breathe: it would be deepened and restored so that water can flow better. A footpath would connect places to linger and steps down to the water; in quieter sections, reed beds, riparian plants, and shallow sheltered zones will attract fish, birds, and insects. This gives rise to a place where flood protection coincides with a pleasant, green route through the neighbourhood.
• Higher up, on the slopes and in the streets, rainwater would be retained. Infiltration cells, green verges, and small storage areas give water time to percolate into the soil, while at strategic points, culverts lead the surplus to the canal in a controlled way. Replanting bare embankments binds the soil and slows erosion, so that less sand and silt reach the lower city. The result would be a chain of simple interventions that together calm the system and make the neighbourhood more liveable.

“I see a lot of methodological overlap between the WaL design and what the municipality is already doing,” says Iriarte. “From the characterisation of the micro-catchment to the idea of public space with footpaths and viewpoints: we’re on the same page. I also recognize innovative elements from the WaL team – for example, ideas related to biodiversity in the canal; we’d like to replicate those.”

What the Netherlands has learned from the WaL Cartagena programme

Barbara Swart, coordinator of bilateral cooperation on water and climate adaptation at the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management (IenW) and lead within Partners for Water, sees in WaL Cartagena exactly what the Netherlands is aiming for with international cooperation: impact on the ground and learning from each other. “It’s great to provide and to collect knowledge,” says Swart. “But above all, we want to see that this knowledge is used: that Cartagena’s residents benefit directly. WaL is integral and inclusive; it is developed together with the communities. That makes it stronger.”

On an earlier visit to the city, she and her team saw the enormous opportunities here. It’s a coastal city where water and climate challenges, public space, and social development converge. That makes the area eminently suitable for projects that not only reduce flood risks, but also regreen neighbourhoods, improve health and quality of life, and strengthen local ownership. Because the city also prioritises these aspects and financiers have been engaged from day one, this paves the way for tangible results in the short term and a scalable route to larger water infrastructure.

She emphasises that this cooperation is a two-way street. “We’re still ‘Nederland Waterland’, a country reclaimed from the water,” says Swart, “but in other regions, extreme rains, heat and drought have been going on longer and are more severe. We can learn from that. A striking example is the principle that water and soil are considered in spatial decisions. The Netherlands and Colombia embedded this in policy around the same time. Then you want to know how it works in practice. Who achieves results faster, and why?”

Financing: early at the table, but with local ownership

From the start, financiers and development banks have been at the table to test whether a design will be bankable later. Swart: “Here we have an intermediary role: bringing parties to the table and hearing their ideas. But ownership lies in Cartagena. The city must determine whom to partner with and how the link to national budgets will work. We’re not the leading party. (…) The most important thing is to produce concrete, bankable packages which financiers can commit to.” Financing resilient urban projects is usually challenging, due to fiscal restrictions in governments, both local and national, emphasises Zuijderwijk.

Final phase

Meanwhile, work continues apace. “In the short term, the municipality would like to push at least one section of the canal design quickly through the approval process,” says Zuijderwijk. “A challenge, but doable. Immediately after, we would elaborate the longer-term measures: hydrological model, impact calculations, environmental frameworks, and the financing mix.” Phase 3 is being shaped with our partners at the municipality, says Swart. “We want to deliver early results and set out the vision and elaboration for the larger water infrastructure project that can be implemented later.”

Participation as a design decision-maker

Social dialogue will be crucial in the period ahead. Iriarte sees an opportunity here. “In phase 3 we can establish methods and forms of social consultation that allow us to systematically gather residents’ ideas, knowledge, and concerns. Neighbours sometimes disagree – you must keep an eye on that. It could be about something small, like where a bridge should be. But that’s where a good solution begins, by accommodating the different parties.” This ties in with one of the aspects Swart finds so inspiring in Colombia: “Embedding indigenous and local knowledge. We have participation in the Netherlands too, but in Colombia you see how self-evident it is that communities co-decide. It works, and it translates into simpler maintenance and tangible ownership.”

What is ultimately at stake?

For Cartagena: fewer floods, more shade and greenery, better access to water and public space, and less sediment washing into the lower city. For the Netherlands: practical knowledge about scaling up nature-inclusive solutions in a tropical coastal city, about financing climate adaptation projects, and about embedding management in community structures. Regarding global cooperation, there is another ambition. “In 2023 we agreed the Water Action Agenda at the UN Water Conference,” says Swart. “This means we need to take action. We talk a lot, but ultimately, it’s about visible results. Because of the effects of climate change the urgency has grown, and I would love it if we could demonstrate what WaL has delivered in concrete terms at the next conference in 2026. This requires a joint acceleration now. To get there, all partners – Cartagena’s authorities, communities, Dutch and international funders, and the WaL consortium – need to accelerate delivery now.”

This year, Mozambique and the Netherlands mark 50 years of cooperation in water and agriculture – a long-term partnership built on solidarity and shared learning. To reflect on this milestone, Maarten Gischler (Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Richard Bahumwire (SDU Beira) and Gerard Vos (FOUNT) share their perspectives on how decades of collaboration have evolved from technical assistance to a partnership for urban climate resilience, and what lies ahead in the decades to come.

It’s 1975. Mozambique has just gained independence. The country faces a collapsed economy and a shortage of skilled professionals. To fill the gap, the government invites foreign experts – known locally as cooperantes – including Dutch engineers specialised in water and irrigation. These Dutch cooperantes help to establish systems that would shape Mozambique’s water management for decades.

Over time, this technical assistance evolved into something much greater: a true partnership.

From technical assistance to partnership

“I think we started from the idea that we knew how everything should be done, because our water infrastructure is so well organised in the Netherlands,” reflects Maarten Gischler, Delta Coordinator at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and long-time advisor to the Dutch water programme in Mozambique. “Over time, we learned to really start listening to what is happening locally, to enable local leadership, and to focus on long-term processes rather than quick results.”

The long-term involvement of Dutch experts fostered deep trust between Mozambican institutions and the Dutch Embassy. What began as sector-wide technical assistance gradually developed into sustainable, integrated water management – where governance, land management and finance all form part of the same equation. Nowhere would this become more evident than in Beira. Here, a 25-year vision for urban resilience would turn lessons into practice.

Beira’s masterplan becomes reality

By the early 2010s, Beira had emerged as a focal point. The city’s port was economically vital, growing 10 to 15 percent annually under a concession to a Dutch port operator since 1997. However, the port city was increasingly threatened by floods and rising sea levels.

Gischler: “When a Dutch mission visited in 2010, the city’s late mayor made a decisive request: ‘It’s great that you’re looking at the port, but half our city is under water time and again. We need a plan for that.’” That call led to the Beira Masterplan 2035, developed with support from Partners for Water and the Dutch Embassy. After being approved in 2014, it became more than a document. “The plan became a living chessboard,” recalls Gischler. “The late mayor laid that map on his table in the city hall, and projects were chess pieces that could move, connect and synergise.”

The results span new infrastructure, improved governance, better service delivery and more financial resources. “Neighbourhoods that once flooded for weeks now see water recede within days,” says Gischler. “The city’s cadastre system was digitalised, enabling property tax collection that grew from €600,000 to €2 million annually. That’s empowering for a city government. Being able to collect your own money and having an accountability relationship with citizens.” But infrastructure alone wasn’t enough to build climate resilience. It also required addressing other long-standing national challenges.

Why financing blocks resilient housing

When Cyclone Idai struck in 2019, followed by Cyclone Eloise in 2021, the storms exposed Beira’s deeper vulnerability. “Seventy percent of houses were damaged,” Gischler recalls. “It showed us that resilience is not just about drainage and dikes, it’s also about the homes people live in.”

One of the root problems for resilient housing? “Financing,” explains Richard Bahumwire, CEO of Sociedade de Desenvolvimento Urbano da Beira (SDU Beira), the municipal land development company. “Across Mozambique’s 34 million people, only about 600 mortgages have ever been issued.” Interest rates hover around 25 percent, and banks consider low-income households too risky. Without access to credit, people build informally – often in unsafe areas. “Self-built homes dominate the landscape,” Bahumwire adds. “They are affordable, yet extremely vulnerable. If roofs keep blowing off, you can’t call a city resilient.”

SDU Beira – a public-private company established in 2018 and fully owned by the Municipality of Beira – was set up to carry out the city’s Masterplan 2035. In response to the cyclones, it shifted its focus toward developing climate-resilient housing. The company started with the preparation of flood-prone land for construction. “Beira is like Rotterdam,” Bahumwire explains. “It lies below sea level. so if you want to build, you first need land that doesn’t flood.”

But how do you build affordable homes when potential buyers can’t access loans? “Local private developer Casa Real became a pioneer in tackling this challenge,” shares Gischler. In partnership with the Municipality of Beira, which secured the land and land titles, Casa Real has built, sold or rented around 150 affordable, climate-resilient homes since 2018 in the Inhamízua neighbourhood. “When Cyclone Idai struck, the first batch of ten houses was put to the test, and all subsequent homes benefited from improved cyclone-resilient design. Casa Real also experimented with different financing models, both for construction and for end-users.”

Maraza: breaking the financing deadlock

This year marked a breakthrough. The first stone was laid in Maraza, an integrated affordable housing project aiming to build 25,000 homes in Beira following the 150 homes in Inhamízua. With support from Partners for Water and the Dutch embassy, three hectares of land were raised by two metres, and essential infrastructure was installed. Casa Real then built eight pilot homes, merging their private-sector experience with the municipality’s public-sector initiative. “It’s just the beginning,” explains Bahumwire. “The journey of a thousand miles starts with one step.”

A revolving fund model that scales

“The eight houses prove more than concept – they also demonstrate a new financing model,” explains Gerard Vos from FOUNT, a Dutch impact investment advisory firm that helped to structure the financing. He continues: “Partners for Water provided a grant and loan to SDU Beira, which loaned funds to local developer Casa Real to build the homes. Once residents move in and prove they can pay their monthly instalments, GAPI Bank and the International Labour Organization (ILO) refinance the completed houses through a separate affordable housing facility.”

Residents enter “rent-to-buy” arrangements: monthly instalments at lower interest rates than commercial banks offer, with flexible schedules suited to irregular incomes. “When GAPI and ILO refinance the homes, SDU can reinvest that money in the next batch of houses,” explains Vos. “That’s how you scale.” He adds: “The model reduces risk for developers, makes housing accessible for buyers, and creates a sustainable investment cycle – all without traditional mortgages.”

From pilot to blueprint

“Affordable housing will be a game-changer for Beira,” says Bahumwire. “The city is growing, the port is expanding, industries are coming… people will need safe, affordable homes close to work.” The dream is ambitious: 25,000 homes in Maraza, transforming flood-prone land into safe, vibrant communities. But realising this vision requires proof that the model works at scale. “A track record is vital,” explains Vos. “You need to show investors: we’ve built, we’ve sold, we’ve refinanced. Meanwhile, the project is capturing payment data which is crucial for banks. Do that a few times and larger parties will say: okay, now we’re interested.” Bahumwire adds: “The Ministry has already asked us to present our model, because it is interested in scaling it to other Mozambican cities.”

Climate resilience requires system change

In Beira it became apparent that everything is connected when building a climate-resilient city. As Bahumwire states: “It’s not just about building resilient houses and water infrastructure, it’s about changing the system.”

For the Netherlands, Beira represents a learning laboratory. “What began as technical assistance has become a partnership of equals,” reflects Gischler. “The successes in Beira show that long-term, patient collaboration works.”

Fifty years of partnership have built trust, knowledge and system change. The foundation is laid. The proof of concept is nearing delivery. Now comes the scale-up, showing that climate-resilient cities are not only about infrastructure, but also about system change. And ultimately, about giving people a place to live, thrive and stay safe.

An active delta, 140 polders and increasing climate pressures, Bangladesh faces an urgent challenge of maintaining its water infrastructure in a sustainable way. Dr. Robin Biswas of Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) is pioneering a shift from reactive maintenance to strategic asset management, a transformation that could shape the country’s water future.

As a river management specialist and long-time advocate for participatory water governance, Dr. Robin brings both technical insight and deep field experience. He is now working to guide BWDB’s transition from reactive operation and maintenance (O&M) towards a proactive and holistic approach: asset management (AM). This shift is not merely technical, it is systemic. For years, infrastructure development has followed a cycle of build–neglect–repair (BNR). A recent Partners for Water root cause analysis found that 90% of BWDB’s O&M budget is spent on emergency repairs, leaving little room for forward-looking budget planning.

“That cycle needs to be broken,” explains Dr. Robin “With limited funds and high demand, emergencies always take priority. But by identifying and protecting critical assets, their lifespan can be extended – delivering more reliable and cost-effective services in the long term.”

Changing needs, changing systems

The case for change is clear. Many polders were built in the 1960s and 70s. While they have provided increased water safety and security over the decades, much of the infrastructure is now aging. Meanwhile, livelihoods within these polders are shifting rapidly – from rice cultivation to shrimp farming, vegetables to cash crops – creating different water management needs. “We need infrastructure that can adapt to these realities,” says Dr. Robin. “People are changing their livelihoods, but our systems were designed for a different time.”

This is where asset management comes in. Through a structured, evidence-based approach, BWDB can make better decisions about where to invest and what to maintain. That means using limited resources more effectively, while extending the lifespan of vital infrastructure. This approach aligns with the Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100, which highlights the need for adequate funding, strengthened institutional and governance framework and data-driven planning to ensure that infrastructure remains resilient and future-proof.

From pilot to policy: anchoring the transition

With support from the Partners for Water Program, BWDB undertook an organisational maturity scan and is now developing a roadmap to institutionalise asset management. The Asian Development Bank and BWDB are currently considering 5 new polders, with the aim to incorporate elements of the roadmap into these new polders.

This includes integrating AM principles into feasibility studies and project design phases, so that sustainability is embedded from the start. It also means ensuring that AM is not an add-on, but an institutionalised practice, championed from within. “We want this to be a lasting change,” says Dr. Robin. “That’s why we’re engaging not only our engineers, but also local communities, NGOs, knowledge institutes, departments like agriculture and fisheries and policymakers.”

A shift in mindset and governance

Unlike the Netherlands, Bangladesh’s informal economy and limited tax base mean there is no “beneficiary pays” model for water infrastructure. BWDB relies on central government funds. To secure these, it must demonstrate results and that requires effective governance, inter-agency collaboration and meaningful local participation.
“If farmers don’t understand what we’re doing, we can’t expect them to contribute or cooperate,” says Dr. Robin. “That’s why we focus on building capacity at the local level, not just among our staff, but within the community itself.” He envisions simple tools like mobile apps, local indicators and peer benchmarking to increase transparency and engagement: “If people can report issues, track performance and see the impact of their own efforts, they will take ownership.”

Looking ahead

For now, the roadmap is clear:

1. Demonstrate value
2. Build momentum
3. Align with the Bangladesh Delta Plan’s 2100 goal of raising O&M spending to 0.5% of GDP

And most importantly: keep learning, adapting and involving others. “Asset management is a way to make water infrastructure adapt with time, not get lost in it,” Dr. Robin concludes.

Want to know more about the Bangladesh asset management pilot or Partners for Water’s involvement?

Partners for Water recently supported the development of a Serious Game in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, a region under severe water pressure. Led by Deltares, The Water Agency, and Can Tho University, the project used interactive gaming to help farmers, students, and policymakers understand the real-life consequences of groundwater use. The game has since evolved into an educational and policy tool across Vietnam.

In the fertile plains of Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, where rice paddies stretch to the horizon and millions depend on agriculture for their livelihoods, an environmental crisis is unfolding beneath the surface. Groundwater depletion, saltwater intrusion, and land subsidence threaten the very foundation of the region’s agricultural economy.

To address the problems, in 2018 the Vietnamese government implemented new national legislation prohibiting all groundwater extraction, even for domestic use, to maximize aquifer protection in vulnerable areas.

“But you can’t prohibit something essential to farmers like groundwater and not come up with an alternative” explains Niels Mulder, a hydrogeologist specialising in groundwater and subsurface systems at Deltares.

Rather than relying on conventional approaches to environmental education and awareness, this sparked a groundbreaking collaboration between the Dutch research institute Deltares, The Water Agency, and Can Tho University. Together they developed an innovative solution: a serious game that transforms complex environmental science into engaging, hands-on learning experiences.

From research to reality

The project originated in an unconventional request from the RVO (Netherlands Enterprise Agency) via local Vietnamese partners who recognized that traditional policy communication wasn’t working. A game could provide an easy, accessible way to invite farmers to a session or meeting, and give them insight into the problem.

“We brought board games with us to a cafe and played them for a few hours. We were particularly inspired by ‘Terraforming Mars’, a game about making Mars habitable”. The team deliberately avoided digital solutions, despite their potential for precise calculations. “We wanted people to sit at a table together, in order to get a dialogue,” explains Trang Dinh. He facilitated the sessions at Can Tho University and is the country coordinator at Deltares for the Mekong region.

The physical board game format enables interpersonal dynamics that digital alternatives cannot replicate. For instance, player 1 can say to player 2, “you are now going to extract a lot of groundwater which has consequences for me”. They then find out that the only way to ‘win’ the game is by collaborating, explains Marta Faneca from Deltares. She played an important role in conceptualizing how gaming could bridge the gap between scientific knowledge and practical understanding.

It was also clear from the beginning that instead of providing a groundwater model, the game should give insights into the economic differences between, for instance, growing bananas or nuts. Initially the earnings will be higher, but then the game will show the enormous amounts of water needed. Where will this water come from? It needs to be stored. Can you store it yourself, or should neighbouring farmers be involved?

Everyone was excited. Trang explains: “even after the game was finished, people carried on talking. This outcome exceeded the team’s initial expectations and demonstrated the game’s effectiveness in generating motivation for sustainable practices.”

Policy implementation

The educational approach is designed to empower choice rather than prescribe specific solutions. So the game presents broad categories of interventions – water efficiency improvements, surface storage solutions, and managed aquifer recharge systems – while allowing players to explore their applicability to different situations.

The game’s development involved extensive testing with three distinct audiences, each bringing different perspectives and learning needs.

University students, particularly those without water resources backgrounds, approached the game with curiosity but a limited understanding of groundwater consequences. The game provided these students with their first tangible experience of how individual decisions create collective environmental problems. They gave the developers an open-minded insight into the use of the game.

Another audience, government officers, brought extensive technical knowledge but played with extreme caution. Trang: “They already have a lot of knowledge about the groundwater problem, and they play the game very carefully from the beginning. They almost never make mistakes”.

This observation of these three distinct audiences led to crucial insights about policy implementation and how different groups engage with environmental challenges.

Expanding impact

The game’s evolution from initial testing at Can Tho University in November 2023 to featuring at Hanoi’s UN Youth Festival in August 2025 demonstrates both its educational effectiveness and its scalability. Over three hour-long sessions, young participants from diverse backgrounds played the game, creating an inclusive environment that transcended language barriers.

Participants rated the experience an impressive 4.8 out of 5, with many commenting that it was “harder than expected” because it required balancing profit with sustainability. This difficulty was not a design flaw but a feature: it accurately reflected the real-world challenges faced by farmers and policymakers in managing competing economic and environmental priorities.

The development team discovered that successful implementation required constant adaptation to local contexts. The solution was to empower facilitators to modify game parameters in real time. Eight professional games are now circulating among universities, provincial departments, and communities, supplemented by locally produced versions using printed materials and Lego pieces. Another advantage is that no expensive technology is needed and the games can easily be adapted to local languages and contexts.

Learning by playing

“The project is finished. But that does not mean the game is over,” explains Niels Mulder. He feels it would be helpful to integrate this type of ‘learning by playing’ into higher education because it makes complex environmental systems tangible. Vietnam’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment sees the potential for integrating the game into policy consultation processes for new water resource regulations.

The Water Agency and Deltares are scaling up these efforts, developing training for new facilitators, adapting the game for different regions, and creating digital versions in order to reach broader audiences. However, they recognize that the physical board game format offers irreplaceable benefits: face-to-face interaction, collaborative problem-solving, and the tangible nature of gameplay that digital simulations cannot replicate.

Trang’s firsthand observations reveal how games can transform traditionally difficult conversations into engaging collaborative experiences. The game successfully introduced both familiar and novel water management technologies. “Drip irrigation is popular with farmers,” Trang noticed, “and managed groundwater recharge is new to them. Explanations about how alternative techniques can help save water were very welcome.”

Turning Insight into Impact

Investing in Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR), taking water from channels or rivers, and purifying it to appropriate standards is becoming more attractive in the long term. But this approach requires infrastructure investment and technical expertise. The process is more labour-intensive than simply drilling deeper wells and needs proper planning as it’s not an overnight solution. The goal is for everyone to benefit: both individual farmers and the broader community.

Government incentives can encourage farmers to adopt sustainable practices and offer solutions to reduce groundwater dependency. Players often ask for more information after playing, indicating genuine interest, and the game successfully raises awareness about how individual actions affect the broader delta ecosystem.

Most importantly, The Rethinking Groundwater Use Serious Game demonstrates that learning about environmental challenges need not be abstract or disengaging. It can be immediate, collaborative, and even fun, creating memorable experiences while still conveying crucial scientific concepts and fostering the systemic thinking needed for sustainable futures. As Marta Faneca concludes: “maximizing profit alone leads to a loss for everyone, not only regarding water, but also the environment and quality of life”.

In Nyeri County, Kenya, a team of Dutch and Kenyan partners is testing a water technology innovation that could transform local fish farming. Supported by Partners for Water, the Affordable Recirculating Aquaculture System pilot project (A-RAS-2) is led by the Food Systems and Poverty Alleviation (FOSPA) Foundation in Africa, in collaboration with FOSPA-Kenya and Systemic Consultancy. The project addresses Kenya’s severe protein deficit and the recurring challenges of drought. Project leads Katrine Soma and Charles Mbauni share how it works.

A systems approach

At its core, A-RAS-2 offers small-scale fish farmers a water-efficient, nutrient-reusing, solar-powered alternative to traditional ponds. The pilot project aims to demonstrate that these systems can produce up to 25 times more fish while using only 2–5 percent of the water required in conventional ponds and providing manure for the farmer’s mixed farming systems.

But A-RAS- 2 is more than just a new water technology, it adopts a systems approach built on a deep understanding of the local food system and its interlinked challenges. Beyond addressing farmer’s needs, the project strengthens multiple links in the chain. It stimulates local entrepreneurship in producing technology components and fish marketing and improves consumers access to affordable, nutritious food. On a wider scale, it contributes to climate-neutral, resource-efficient food production with the potential to save over 216 million cubic metres of water per year across Kenya.

From research to practice

For nearly a decade, social scientist Katrine Soma has studied Kenya’s food systems with a particular focus on fish. She works at Wageningen Social and Economic Research and is the chair and founder of the FOSPA-Africa Foundation in the Netherlands. Working closely alongside her is Charles Mbauni, chairman of the Nyeri Fish Farmers Cooperative Society and co-founder and chair of FOSPA-Kenya.

“I have worked in Kenya since 2018, researching bottlenecks in the fish food system,” explains Soma. “Through FOSPA-Africa, Charles and I combine research and implementation hand in hand.”

Mbauni adds: “As chairman of the cooperative, I saw first-hand the challenges in water use, fish growth and costly technology. That is how the idea of an affordable recirculating aquaculture system was born.”

Transforming challenges into innovations

“Kenya, like much of the Horn of Africa, faces chronic food insecurity, mostly driven by climate change and recurring droughts,” says Mbauni. “Protein is in particularly short supply. When drought strikes, traditional sources such as beef and sheep are no longer sustainable due to their high water footprint.”

Recognizing this, the government launched the ‘Eat More Fish’ campaign to promote fish consumption,” explains Soma. Mbauni adds: “Demand for fish is high and far exceeds local production. In fact, 70 per cent of fish consumed in Kenya is imported.”

Against this backdrop, A-RAS offers a breakthrough. “Traditional ponds are about 300m2 and stock no more than five fish per cubic metre, producing around 280 kilograms per pond,” notes Mbauni. “By contrast, A-RAS can reach densities of nearly 200 fish per cubic metre, producing more than 7,000 kilograms in the same space.”

“This is an enormous difference,” says Soma. “It means more fish, more protein, and at the same time we release land and water for other purposes”.

Practical, affordable and circular water technology

The technology is both innovative and pragmatic. “Recirculating aquaculture systems are usually expensive,” says Soma. “We focused on affordability – using local materials, cheaper or second-hand parts and high quality components where essential.” The result is a mix of simple tanks and advanced yet affordable water management.

“The tanks are made locally and in a simple yet durable manner,” explains Mbauni. “At the same time, the air and water pumps are high quality and supplied by Dutch entrepreneurs.” A settling tank filters solid waste, which is reused as fertiliser. A nitrification tank with microorganism removes nitrogen. Different oxygenation technologies are being tested, including nano and microbubbles.

Mbauni continuous: “Each system has six tanks with fish at different growth stages, allowing farmers to maintain a steady income throughout the year. This enables them to reinvest in quality feed essential for water and fish health.”

Soma concludes: “In the end, it is high-tech translated into practical, affordable solutions. And because the system runs on solar energy for water recirculation, it is climate neutral,”

Consortium and partners

The pilot project builds on a feasibility study carried out by FOSPA-Africa together with AquaFarmingConsult and Wageningen University & Research, supported by Partners for Water.

In this second phase, the consortium consists of FOSPA-Africa, FOSPA-Kenya and Systemic Consultancy. FOSPA-Africa brings together research, implementation and technical and financial expertise to refine the water technology and develop accessible business models for scaling.

Engaging stakeholders

From the start, farmers have been at the heart of the project. Mbauni represents a cooperative of around 1,000 fish farmers whose feedback informs every stage of the process. To ensure diversity, five farmers were involved in both the feasibility study and the pilot, among them women, young farmers and a disabled farmer.

“Working with the cooperative means we know immediately what works and what doesn’t,” says Soma. “Farmers tell us: this is a good idea, that is not. This direct communication saves time and ensures solutions are truly practical and acceptable.”

This bottom-up approach goes beyond farmers. In Kibera, Nairobi’s largest informal settlement, local leaders, consumers and women vendors co-created solutions for fish distribution. “Our solution is not an external, foreign thing,” says Mbauni. “It’s embedded in the community, where people trust and support each other.”

Next steps

To advance the project, the consortium has built a new A-RAS-2 facility in Nyeri County. “This enables gathering of reliable data and refining oxygenation technologies, with the first results expected next year,” says Soma.

On this basis, the project aims to scale up across Kenya, moving from fish production to a complete food system with feed, fingerlings, processing and training hubs. “We’re developing financing models to make the systems accessible for small-scale farmers,” notes Mbauni. “The long-term goal is to turn proven pilots into a nationwide movement, with potential expansion to neighbouring countries such as Uganda and Ethiopia.”

Innovation in progress series

The Partners for Water 5 programme (2022 – 2027) follows several projects that received the Partners for Water subsidy from start to finish. Over the next few years, these projects will take you on their journey of testing the feasibility or application of innovative solutions to enhance water safety and water security abroad. You’ll be able to gain insights into their processes, collaborations with local partners and their potential solutions; as well as their struggles, challenges and their lessons learned. Discover all projects. 

In 2006, a night-time rainstorm triggered a devastating flood in the Ethiopian city of Dire Dawa. Water up to four meters high surged through residential areas, claiming 260 lives and displacing thousands. With no warning system, residents were completely unprepared. These flash floods are a growing problem in African cities, where rapid urbanisation and inadequate infrastructure leave residents vulnerable.

A Dutch-African consortium, led by HKV is addressing this challenge through an innovative warning system, funded by the Partners for Water programme. The approach uses satellite data to generate crucial information for flood management and emergency responses. Dorien Lugt, Water and Climate Consultant at HKV, shares insights on this promising solution.

Floods without warning

“Many urban areas in Africa are not prepared for heavy rainfall”, says project leader Dorien Lugt. “This creates situations that are not only disruptive, but can also be life-threatening.”

“One of the major causes of the problem is the lack of reliable precipitation information,” Lugt explains. “In the Netherlands, we have rain radar; we can see where it’s raining at any moment. In many African countries, this information does not exist. There are often no radars and the ground stations that do exist only measure rainfall at one particular point and often do not automatically transmit data.”

Satellites as a solution

To address this problem, the consortium, consisting of HKV, Deltares, the Red Cross, TAHMO and ICPAC, are focusing on an early warning system for urban areas. Lugt explains how the consortium was brought together: “HKV and Deltares, are strong in flood risk management, “TAHMO measures rainfall throughout Africa, the Red Cross knows how to communicate effectively during disasters, ICPAC is a regional organisation, supporting 11 east African countries with weather and climate information.” The consortium uses satellites that look at Africa every 15 minutes and can detect rain. “This provides a comprehensive map – comparable to rain radar – of where and how much rain is falling.”

“We integrate this satellite data into a computer simulation to generate detailed flood forecasts with a six-hour lead time,” says Lugt. “Our team then translates these technical predictions into actionable information for the city: Which neighbourhoods face imminent danger? When is the flood expected? And most critically, how can we ensure residents not only receive these warnings in time but also understand how to respond effectively?”

This timing is critical. In Dire Dawa, sometimes only a few hours separate mountain rainfall from flooding in the city. “When you know it’s raining in the mountains, you must act quickly,” says Lugt. “For example, evacuating a busy market with hundreds of vendors in a dry riverbed before the water arrives.”

Local cooperation is the key

Dire Dawa was chosen as a pilot location due to the tangible risks and the existing involvement of local parties. “We initially contacted the Ministry of Water, the disaster management organisation and the municipality. They were immediately enthusiastic,” Lugt recalls.

The local community plays an important role: “People from the city took photos of bridges and drainage points. Based on this, we developed a model of the city and simulated the 2006 flood,” says Lugt. Local knowledge was also used to fill in the gaps on historical water level measurements. “Normally, you compare models with measured water levels. Instead, we asked the residents how high the water level was in different years. That provided surprisingly useful information.”

Innovations on multiple fronts

The project innovates at three levels. “First, we use satellite data that until now were underutilised. Second, we model the city in unprecedented detail using Deltares’ rapid modelling tool. And third, we’re working with the Red Cross on new protocols. Unlike traditional disaster plans, which often look days ahead, urban protocols must anticipate sudden events. That requires a different way of working and communicating,” Lugt adds

A model for the future

The collaboration is going well, despite challenges in finding the right approach. “Ethiopia was new terrain for most of us. But, the enthusiasm from the local partners has been contagious. They even indicated that they want to learn modelling themselves, so now we offer an online training every two weeks.”

“The project runs until the end of 2025. Now that the rainy season is starting, we agreed that we will run the system and that the Ethiopian team will monitor what happens. This way, we can see how well it works and what we can still improve.”

According to Lugt, the goal is clear: “With this project, we not only want to make Dire Dawa safer, but also demonstrate that this approach works for other African cities facing similar flood risks. Because the problem is widespread and the need for solutions is urgent.”

Continue the conversation: join the Meet-up 29 January

Dorien Lugt is also featured in the podcast episode #9 Early Warning! released on 22 January. On 29 January we will continue the conversation live in-person at Bar Beton at Utrecht Central. The meet-up on 29 January builds on the insights from the Waterproof podcast episode 9.

From a partially built wetlands with 1.1 million residents to a megacity of three million by 2050, the city of Thu Duc is rapidly transforming. Located in an area that, due to land subsidence and sea level rise, will be below sea level by the end of the century. Flooding from intense rainfall and high river levels is already a regular occurrence. Welcome to Thu Duc City: the future financial heart of Ho Chi Minh City.

Haskoning’s Netherlands-based Karel Heijnert, Team Leader for Phase 2 and Vietnam based Alexandria Norris-Moore, who led Phase 1 and now serves as Urban Resilience Expert in Phase 2, share their insights into the project.

The challenges of Thu Duc City

What makes this project stand out is its scale and timing. With a projected population growth of around 2 million people within a few decades, the city is on the brink of irreversible change. “It’s about one third developed and the rest is still empty space and wetlands,” says Alexandria Norris-Moore, “but they will be building – because they already have just down the road.”

That reality gives the project a rare window of influence. “We may be small in scale,” adds Karel, “but if you’re at the table at the right moment, you can help steer a mega-development before it locks in future problems.” This makes the Partners for Water-funded initiative more than a consultancy effort – it’s a strategic lever at a critical turning point. By combining Dutch expertise in urban water management with Vietnam’s high-level planning system, the team hopes to embed nature-based flood risk management into the DNA of a city still under construction. As Karel puts it: “This study won’t solve everything. It’s a drop. But it’s a well-placed drop in a resilient city that’s about to flood with people.”

To meet this challenge, Thu Duc City partnered with the World Bank and the Government of The Netherlands on an Integrated Flood Risk Management (IFRM) project. Funded by the Partners for Water programme and delivered by Haskoning, with its partners OMGEVING and Delta Context, the project aims to embed flood resilience into the urban planning and development of Thu Duc City.

From analysis to narrative: Phase 1

Phase 1 started with a core question: how did Thu Duc become what it is today and how did past urban decisions contribute to today’s flood risks? The project team combined a historical-spatial analysis with advanced water modelling and future growth scenarios.

“It was the first time this level of analysis had been done at this scale; connecting all of the waterways across Thu Duc City, from small canals to bigger rivers to temporary ponds,” Alexandria explains. “We created a blue-green network, linking green spaces for water storage and for spatial connection between blue and green.”

Blue-green vision reveals the bigger picture

This approach didn’t just yield technical solutions like drainage systems, polders or dikes; it told a bigger story. The narrative helped shape the city’s land use and master plan, creating a spatial logic that justified investment choices across the entire city. “RVO (Netherlands Enterprise Agency), as the implementing body of the Partners for Water programme, gave us the space to explore that full journey,” she says, “from high-level strategy to detailed interventions. And that’s what made the investment proposals for Phase 1 stronger – because they were grounded in a citywide logic, not just a local quick fix for worst-hit areas.”

Supported by the World Bank, the blue-green vision was translated into a detailed investment proposal for a pilot area in the north of the city. The proposal was approved by Thu Duc City with minimal changes and submitted directly to the national government. “It’s extremely rare,” Alexandria notes. “For a local government to approve a consultancy-led proposal with so few changes and immediately submit it for national funding; especially when a large part of it includes Nature-based Solutions (NBS).”

That last part is key. NBS are still not a preferred option in Vietnam. “They prefer hard grey infrastructure because they can see the results quickly,” Alexandria says. “So actually, trying to get them on board with some of the NBS was quite a journey. But as soon as we did, they were much keener to put forward those investment items to the national government for funding.”

A ‘clean sheet’ for resilient urban development

While Phase 1 delivered a blue-green vision and a ready-to-fund investment plan, Phase 2 focuses on the next step: supporting Thu Duc in turning that vision into action. “We worked with the city’s task force and chairman to say, well, if you’re going to really do flood management correctly, these are some recommendations you need to adopt around institutional governance and coordination. And that’s what became Phase 2,” says Alexandria. At the heart of this second phase is the focus on integrating flood risk management into the urban fabric before it is fully built.

Embedding flood resilience in urban planning

“On one hand, you have flooding problems in the already urbanised areas; on the other, there’s a clean slate – open space where we have a chance to do it right,” says Karel, team leader of Phase 2. “You need space to properly manage water over time in a city like this. That space could be on the street or in a park. But if you don’t plan for it now, you’ll be forced to solve it later with massive pumps and canals; and that’s expensive and inefficient.” And that matters in Vietnam, a country Karel describes as “a world champion in planning.” “When you have it in the zoning plans – what should be green, what should be buildings – there’s a much higher chance that it will actually happen,” he says.

Designing structural measures in combination with spatial planning

This is where Phase 2 proves most strategic. The team is developing spatial planning guidelines for water-sensitive planning in Thu Duc’s new districts – areas set that will become financial centres, high-tech hubs and modern housing areas. They are also supporting the design of integrated measures, to ensure that areas designated for water in planning are translated into functional spaces in reality. “And that’s actually what our project focuses on: Nature-based Solutions. But this it’s putting people on the wrong foot. This can be misleading but it’s really about combining structural measures with space for water. That could be green space, but not always,” Karel emphasises. “It’s about making the space multifunctional: for daily use by communities and occasionally for flood management. You can’t rely on pumps alone in a monsoon city that’s sinking below sea level.” That’s what Phase 2 is all about: embedding flood resilience into the DNA of a megacity-in-the-making.

What’s next?

While spatial planning and governance remain central to Phase 2, the next frontier lies in building the city’s digital infrastructure. One of the projects tasks is focused on designing two systems that will anchor Thu Duc’s flood risk response in data and real-time insight. The first is the Flood Risk Management Information System (TD-FRMIS), which will help authorities anticipate, monitor and respond to floods through hydrodynamic modelling, GIS mapping and early-warning capabilities. In parallel, the team is designing a Geospatial Data Sharing Platform (TD-GDSP), enabling departments to integrate and overlay spatial data on everything from land use and drainage to elevation and population density. These digital platforms will help Thu Duc City move from reactive infrastructure planning to anticipatory, risk-informed urban development.

Looking ahead, continued collaboration with Ho Chi Minh City as the administrative authority of Thu Duc will be essential. A newly installed city administration is expected in the third quarter, providing a critical opportunity to align on priorities, integrate digital systems and further embed flood resilience into strategic decision-making. Ensuring institutional continuity and support from both local and metropolitan levels will be key to scaling the project’s impact.

International collaboration at its best

Thu Duc’s development highlights the importance of embedding flood risk management early on in urban development. With clear spatial guidelines, institutional support and smart digital systems, the city is taking concrete steps toward long-term resilience. This approach of linking strategic planning, practical tools and local ownership offers valuable lessons for other fast-growing cities in delta regions. As the project moves forward, continued collaboration between Dutch and Vietnamese partners will be essential to ensure the results have lasting impact, both in Thu Duc City and beyond.

In Kenya, 12.8 million people suffer from excessive fluoride exposure due to contaminated drinking water. This leads to health issues like bone deformation and discoloured teeth, as well as reduced job prospects. Now, for the first time, a consortium of four organisations has developed a unique, low-cost household filter that removes both bacteria and fluoride, without using electricity or wastewater. Funded by Partners for Water, this innovation seems to be a game changer. Nazava Water Filters’ Lieselotte Heederik and Marleen Ophorst explain more.

“Empowering households by giving them the opportunity to take control of their own water quality is the mission of Nazava Water Filters” explains Heederik, the organisation’s co-founder. Pursuing this goal, the consortium (consisting of Resilience BV, Nazava Water Filters Ltd, Harbauer Limited, and Delft University of Technology) has developed an innovative filter. It combines Nazava’s proven ceramic technology for removing bacteria with HAPaqua’s fluoride-absorbing unit, based on hydroxyapatite. Ophorst, Nazava Water Filters’ Project Manager, adds: “We believe in decentralised solutions that make safe drinking water – free from bacteria and fluoride – accessible to households in areas where that is far from guaranteed.”

Social enterprise with a mission

“Nazava is a for-profit social enterprise that has deliberately chosen a commercial model to deliver a social mission,” explains Heederik. “We believe this contributes to product sustainability and customer satisfaction. If our product doesn’t work, our customers will tell us. And if they don’t want it, they won’t buy it. The market keeps us accountable for quality and relevance.”

“Simultaneously, we are driven by a sense of justice,” Ophorst shares. “This combination makes us quite unique. There are very few companies in the water sector that combine a social mission with a commercial approach while focusing specifically on household-level solutions.”

Collaboration is key

According to Ophorst, the collaboration between the four partners runs smoothly: “Each organisation brings its own expertise. We all have a clear role and learn a lot from each other.” TU Delft contributes academic research, Harbauer brings fluoride removal expertise, and Resilience drives the project and oversees management. “We are truly complementary,” confirms Heederik. “That’s what makes the partnership strong.”

Why not reverse osmosis?

“Traditionally, fluoride contamination in drinking water is treated through reverse osmosis. But this isn’t a sustainable solution,” shares Heederik. “It’s expensive, energy-intensive, and produces wastewater.” The consortium’s solution is a true game changer. “Our filter works by gravity, completely without electricity,” says Ophorst. “That makes it much more accessible for both urban and rural households, but also allows NGOs working on water security to reach far more people, simply by reducing costs.”

Users at the centre

A major pillar of the project is involving end users. “For one month we tested our product among 50 households in Nakuru” says Ophorst. “Each week we asked them for honest feedback: ‘Don’t tell us what you think we want to hear, tell us what you really think.’” That open approach paid off. “Users even helped us think through improvements for rural communities lacking basic infrastructure and they also referred new customers who would benefit from this solution.”

“We remain in touch with our 50 first users,” Ophorst continues. “We’re still monitoring long-term performance; the amount of fluoride the filter continues to remove depends on the original water quality and how much is filtered.”

High demand and future prospects

Heederik and Ophorst have presented the project at various international conferences, including World Water Week in Stockholm and the World Water Forum in Bali, as well as events in Kenya. “At every conference, we’re reminded just how high the demand is for a sustainable bacteria and fluoride filter,” says Heederik. “We even received a call from a representative of the Nairobi dental association, showing interest in our product. That really confirms the scale of the problem.”

“People are recommending the filter to friends and family, and demand is growing,” says Ophorst. “This makes me incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved over the past year and of the whole team involved.”

A game changer in the making

Although the product is still in the testing phase, early signs are promising. “We have a solution that is scalable, sustainable, and truly meets people’s needs,” says Ophorst. “People are already calling to ask: ‘Is it available yet?’” The consortium has submitted a new funding application to test the filter with users from diverse socio-economic backgrounds.

Heederik concludes with a clear invitation: “We’re actively looking for financial, technical, and operational partners who want to help bring this game changer forward. So we can bring the smiles back to the faces of children in Kenya.”

As a child, Maryna Yushchenko witnessed the water quality in her home city of Kyiv deteriorate year after year. This inspired her to focus her career on water management. Three years ago, she moved to the Netherlands to pursue that ambition. Today, she is in her third year of the Water Management programme at HZ University of Applied Sciences in Middelburg. She is specialising in spatial planning and design and is applying her skills as an intern at Partners for Water tackling international water challenges. Nice to meet you, Maryna!

Growing up in Kyiv, a city built on water, Maryna spent her childhood playing along the riverbanks. “It was really sad seeing the water quality deteriorating in my home city. Algae blooms increasingly polluted the river, eventually making the water so green that swimming was impossible for most of the summer season,” she explains. “This experience inspired me to dedicate my studies and career to water management.”

Spatial analysis to restore wetlands

At Partners for Water, Maryna is currently involved in a wetland reconnection project on the border of Thailand and Laos. In collaboration with WWF and Royal HaskoningDHV, the project aims to restore the link between the wetland area and the Mekong River using Nature-based Solutions (NbS). “Agricultural expansion and invasive plant species have led to the wetland’s gradual degradation and disconnection from the river,” explains Maryna. “My role involves spatial analysis and testing interventions that would reconnect the wetland with minimal disruption to the local communities.”

Working on global water management solutions

What drew Maryna to Partners for Water was its international focus. “I like that Partners for Water not only focuses on the Dutch water sector but also on international water management projects,” she says. This global perspective aligns perfectly with her own values about knowledge exchange. “I think it’s great that the Netherlands has so much expertise in the water sphere and I feel like sharing this expertise is so valuable for other countries like mine.”

Multidisciplinary collaboration

In addition to improving her mapping software skills, Maryna’s hopes to gain experience working and communicating in multidisciplinary teams. “Unlike my studies, where projects were tackled one at a time, my role at Partners for Water involves juggling multiple tasks simultaneously. This internship’s diverse projects really encourages me to adapt to different initiatives and work on my communications with various stakeholders.”

Ambitions for global sustainable water management

Maryna’s ultimate ambition goes beyond personal growth. “My biggest motivation is changing how water is viewed and treated around the world,” she shares. “In the Netherlands, water is seen as a really valuable resource. But, in many other parts of the world, it’s often treated as a nuisance.” She dreams of returning to Ukraine someday to apply innovative and sustainable water management principles. “I would love to bring the knowledge I have acquired here to Ukraine, to help change my home city and give water the value and respect it deserves.”