Water4All’s 2022 Joint Transnational Call sought to deliver knowledge, models, approaches, tools and methodologies to better understand hydrological processes at different scales and to respond more efficiently to emerging water issues related to extreme events.
The Call also addressed innovative governance models, and enhanced participation of stakeholders, communities and society at large in water management issues related to extreme events.
The increase in the number of hydrological extreme events in the last few decades has motivated the research community to investigate their spatial variability and underlying processes. Evidence suggests that to properly support water management and tackle future and emerging challenges, it is necessary to make progress in understanding the spatiotemporal complex systems that drive hydrological events.
Today the series of portray of the 27 excellent R&D projects selected for funding continues. An introduction to the three following projects: NEWATER, PREVIR and RESCUE
NEWATER project:
NEWATER project is focused on natural-based and low energy consumption unconventional solutions for the management of water sources
The general objectives of this project are:
- To develop innovative and efficient water systems for any representative EU region based on energy and cost-efficient hybrid biological, physical, and nature-based solutions and on digital technologies enabling system monitoring, control and decision support.
- To ensure the replication potential, the NeWater system validation will be carried out through 4 Water Labs representing different relevant areas (agricultural, rural, urban and industrial) in large-scale operational environments.
- It also aims to develop new value chains and business models addressing new market opportunities derived from the innovative water system and related services and jobs in diverse sectors (water, agriculture, chemicals, or public services)
Link to the Water4All project webpage
PREVIR project:
PREVIR project is focused on an early-warning tool predicting enteric virus contamination in coastal watersheds
The general objectives of this project are :
Contributing to the safe and sustainable use of water, especially for shellfish production, by acquiring new knowledge of the viral contamination in catchments, and co-developing an early-warning tool helping end-users to mitigate the impact of this contamination upon extreme hydroclimatic events.
By answering the following questions, we will generate new knowledge that we will use to develop process-based and machine-learning models of viral contamination and viral infectious risk in shellfish and coastal waters.
- How do floods and droughts alter the dynamics, diversity, and infectivity of enteric viruses in water catchments up to shellfish beds?
- Can the contamination of shellfish be predicted from water quality, meteorological or other parameters, under normal conditions and during extreme events?
- Finally, how does this translate to an infectious risk?
Link to the Water4All project webpage
RESCUE project:
RESCUE project is focused on Resources in coastal groundwater under hydroclimatic extremes
The general objectives of this project are:
- To use research and innovation to improve water security in these regions, by applying novel physical and numerical workflows to identify freshwater resources in previously unexplored coastal deep and offshore aquifers. These aquifers could provide a crucial strategic resource for freshwater at times of increased need.
- To build knowledge of deep, onshore and offshore low salinity aquifers in European coastal areas, in order to evaluate novel water resources and help secure a steady supply of water to both population and industry in times of hydroclimatic extremes.
