Project description
Testing alternative solutions to address water scarcity
Traditional approaches to water management are proving insufficient in the face of shifting environmental dynamics and growing population demands. Exacerbated by climate change, water scarcity demands urgent action. Traditional water supply systems are strained, prompting the search for alternative solutions. There is a need for society, science, and policy to address this pressing challenge together. In this context, the EU-funded AWARD project seeks evidence-based solutions for integrating alternative water resources into strategic water planning. Demonstrated in four cases across Europe, including Bucharest, Cyprus, Milan, and Santiago di Compostel, AWARD pioneers the adoption of alternative water resources like stormwater and rainwater harvesting. Using innovative tools such as digital decision-making platforms, the project fosters coordinated actions and societal awareness.
Objective
AWARD recognises the urgency of action due to water scarcity and climate change impacts as well as the need to engage simultaneously the society, the science and the policy into the development of knowledge and strategic water planning. Therefore, AWARD will provide evidence-based solutions to consider AWRs into water supply strategic plans, based on socio-political engagement. The 4 Demo Cases of AWARD are already implementing AWRs (storm water, rainwater and aquifer recharge in Bucharest in Romania as well as in Milano in Italy; water reuse in Cyprus, storm water and rainwater in an industrial park in Santiago di Compostel in Spain). Through the project activities, Demo Cases will consider scaling up their actions taking in account a broader range of AWRs together with conventional water resources for planning future water supply systems at local or regional level using AWARD instruments (Local Water Fora, Digital Platform for decision making, training and guidance). They will address similar issues in a harmonised and coordinated way. Societal awareness to support the decision process on AWRs supply solutions will lead to the recommendations for further use of AWRs encompassing the 4 dimensions of social innovation (Technological, Capacity development, Governance & Policy, Economics & assessment). The AWARD AWRs catalogue will gather the project results and additional solutions which will be benchmarked. The digital platform provided by AWARD will support the exploration of resilient scenarios that will be promoted beyond the scope of the project thanks to dedicated networking activities.
AWARD general objective is to provide evidence-based knowledge and lessons learnt on how to effectively integrate affordable, acceptable and reliable AWRs solutions into water supply strategic planning and implementation considering the effect of global changes.
Fields of science
- social sciencessociologygovernance
- social scienceseconomics and businesseconomics
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental scienceshydrology
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesatmospheric sciencesclimatologyclimatic changes
- engineering and technologycivil engineeringwater engineeringwater supply systems
Keywords
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-IA - HORIZON Innovation ActionsCoordinator
75008 PARIS
France
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.