Author: Harmke Berghuis

4 Dutch water authorities work together in Tanzania

4 Dutch water authorities work together in a unique WaterWorX (WWX) project by integrating IWRM4WASH in the Mindu Dam Catchment Area, Morogoro, Tanzania.

Overview of the Mindu Dam in Tanzania

The 4 Dutch water authorities are World Waternet, Rivierenland, Brabantse Delta and Hoogheemraadschap Hollands Noorderkwartier.

What is WaterWorX?

WaterWorX (WWX) is the international programme in which all Dutch drinking water companies have joined forces to contribute to a sustainable drinking water management worldwide. This programme is similar to the Blue Deal programme, in which all Dutch water authorities have combined their efforts to improve access to clean, sufficient and safe water worldwide.

Long-term resilience

By integrating IWRM4WASH in the Mindu Dam Catchment Area, Morogoro, Tanzania, the programme can create a climate-proof system that ensures sustainable water management, improved WASH services, and increased resilience to climate change. This holistic approach not only addresses immediate water and sanitation needs but also builds long-term resilience for the community and the environment.

Improving water supply throughout the year

The Mindu dam provides more than 75% of the water supply in Morogoro. Due to rapid population growth, deforestation in surrounding mountains, and climate change, less water and more sand from the rivers end up in the dam, which has reduced the capacity of the dam. By taking measures in the catchment area in combination with improving the dam, the water supply should improve throughout the year.

Blueprint for entire catchment area

With additional funding from the NWB Fund and the Climate Adaptation Fund, the WWX partnership in Morogoro is able to start a pilot with nature-based solutions at one of the tributary rivers of the Mindu Dam. The idea is that this pilot will be a blueprint for the other 4 rivers to the dam and eventually for the entire catchment area.

Valuable insights for other programmes

The pilot consists of the realisation of a Training and Demonstration Centre at Ngeregere River, where work in progress can be viewed, compared and discussed by stakeholders in the area. The aim is to ensure the effective implementation and success of nature-based solutions. Interventions are, among other things, agroforestry, a tree nursery, farmer training, beekeeping and check dams in the adjacent river. These interventions have been assessed by the joint development of a decision-support tool. The development of this Farmtree tool with key focus on Agroforestry interventions was supported by the NWB Fund. Both the tool and the proposed pilots may provide valuable insights for other Blue Deal and WaterWorX programsmes.

Demonstration, monitoring and working together

As an international Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) team, the team works on the basis of the principles of demonstrating, monitoring and working together:

  • Demonstration: seeing is believing. We are going to show in practice how different nature-based solutions can be applied. We show and experience for example the agroforestry systems we developed with the help of the FarmTree tool®.
  • Monitoring: to measure is to know. A participatory monitoring framework (PMF) is developed supported and managed by the local community to provide insights into the performance of the different interventions. In this way, the effects can be substantiated to help improve the practice.
  • Working together: we are working on a strong network of stakeholders. Our common dream is an ecosystem of passionate people that finds each other.

For more information on this project, please contact Janette Worm via janette.worm@waternet.nl.

Work visits on management, financing and stakeholder management in Eswatini

In May, there were no less than 3 work visits for Blue Deal Eswatini. On management, financing, and stakeholder management.

In Eswatini, water is becoming an increasingly vital resource. Climate change and a growing population demand careful management of surface and groundwater for agriculture (food security), drinking water, and energy.

Management Development trajectory

As part of the Management Development trajectory, a work visit was undertaken where one-on-one work was conducted between the Netherlands and Eswatini at the management and executive level with our direct partner organisation, the JRBA PB. Valuable steps were also taken with both the departing and the newly appointed board members.

Financing water management

During a work visit that focussed on financing, discussions were held on the successes, opportunities, and challenges of attracting external funds for the effective decentralisation of water management in the country.

Stakeholder management

During the third work visit, all key stakeholders in water management in Eswatini were consulted about their roles, tasks, and responsibilities, as there is confusion and associated tension due to overlaps and gaps. This is also aimed at bridging the current period during which the Water Act is being revised. Our aim is to work together with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Energy to develop better coordination and governance, ensuring that access to water for everyone in Eswatini is guaranteed in the future.

InspirAgua and Wetskills: a win-win

From May 27 to June 7, Wetskills Water Challenge took place in Cartagena, Colombia. Colombian partners of the Blue Deal programme InspirAgua provided 2 interesting cases that young water professionals worked on. 6 of these young talents participate through InspirAgua. Programme manager Ellen Bollen: “With Wetskills we get a fresh look at water issues in Colombia. It is a great opportunity for young professionals to gain international experience. So it’s a win-win!”

Wetskills is a programme that brings together young people from all over the world. They spend 2 weeks searching for creative solutions to water problems in a changing world. Every year, Wetskills are held in a number of countries across the continents. 3 candidates from Dutch Water Authorities and 3 candidates from the Colombian Corporaciones Autónomas Regionales (CARs), among others, got to work on the issues.

Water availability and water as a engine for socio-economic growth

The CARs Cdmb and Cundinamarca provided 2 of the 3 cases on behalf of InspirAgua. One case was about the unpredictable droughts in the Tona River: How can we create flexible water availability there? The other case was about the Río Frío microbasin: How can we use water sustainably as an engine for socio-economic growth?

2 countries, similar challenges

Margriet and Menno, participants of Wetskills: “Wetskills was an unforgettable experience for us. We learned a lot about water management in Cartagena and Colombia in general and the consequences of climate change on the water sector. Although at first glance the differences seem large between the Netherlands and Colombia, we have discovered that we encounter the same problems in both countries, large and small. The problems just manifest themselves slightly differently. This, in combination with working in multicultural teams, has made us look at our daily work at home with different eyes and new appreciation.”

They continue: “The theme of our case was ‘How to address the growing demand for water in the Tona River micro basin, with increasing drought periods due to climate change and variability?’ We came up with 3 solutions: 1) implementing an automated monitoring system, 2) nature-based solutions to store more water in the system, and 3) monitoring groundwater supplies. To become close with a group in a new environment in such a short time is very special, and we are grateful to have been a part of it.”

Different approaches

Daniel, another participant: “Wetskills enables meeting and collaboration between young Colombians from different regions and the Netherlands, with water as a common theme. A rich experience. During this meeting we had the opportunity to meet different people and cultures, exchange new experiences, and learn about different views on the use and management of water resources. In developing the cases, we learned new concepts related to water, as well as different approaches to the problems related to water in different contexts and territories. In my personal case, I learned about the concept of water footprint, the different types of water footprint that exist, the global need to be aware of the water footprint caused by different activities, and the different measures that can be taken to mitigate the water footprint.”

The results were presented on June 7 at the Acodal international conference Water, Sanitation, Environment and Renewable Energy in Cartagena.

Ghana appoints 25 environmental chiefs in Upper East Region to tackle climate change

In a bid to tackle climate change and its global impacts, the Paramount chief of the Bongo Traditional Area in the Upper East Region in Ghana, Naba Salifu Atamale Lemyarim, appointed 25 environmental chiefs. The event was organised by Water Resources Commission together with the Blue Deal Ghana.

A tree planting nursery in Ghana for the Blue Deal

The environmental chiefs have been tasked with the responsibility to sensitise people within their catchment areas on the dangers of tree felling, and also to encourage the planting of more trees.

Failed measures and the need for conservation

The coordinator for Blue Deal Ghana, Jaap Bos, highlighted the urgency of the situation, attributing current weather patterns in the Northern, Upper East and North East Regions in Ghana to failed measures. He also stressed the need for conservation efforts, including forest reserves and tree planting.

Unsustainable harvesting of shea and dawadawa trees

The board chairman for White Volta Basin, Dr. Sylvester Darko, commended the chiefs for accepting the challenge in the fight to save the environment. He warned of the changing cultural, economic, social, and political practices influenced by climate change. He also emphasised the detrimental effects on economic activities, such as the unsustainable harvesting of shea and dawadawa trees for charcoal production, which adversely impacts the environment negatively.

“As we all know climate variability has come to stay with us and its effect has been felt especially on our cash trees. The dawadawa and shea trees do not produce fruits as well as before. It’s high time we institute measures in our communities to tackle the situation”, he added.

Traditional authorities to combat climate change

The environmental chiefs concept began in November 2023, when the Blue Deal team engaged traditional authorities in the Bongo Traditional Area on the need to build governance structures to combat climate change. The Blue Deal suggested that the traditional authority should be given the power to sanction and lead their communities towards a safe environment.

This article has been reposted from GBC Ghana. Read the complete article.

Blue Deal Romania visits the Netherlands for Economic Mechanism project

In the third week of May, the Economic Mechanism project group from the Blue Deal partnership Romania was welcomed to the beautiful city of Leiden.

Host of the 2024 session in the Netherlands was the Dutch water authority Rijnland. Especially for the occasion, Rijnland facilitated their meeting facilities in the city centre of Leiden, in a building, which is hundreds of years old. A place that breathes history, which was very much appreciated by both the Dutch and the Romanian delegation.

Finances and asset management

After the action points of last meeting in Targu Mures had been discussed, the programme for the week really kicked off with a presentation by Hans Nederend from the Dutch water authority Rijnland. Mister Nederend elaborated on the financing of investments and how capital costs are covered from the annual budget. Following, asset manager Koen Mooij from Rijnland, gave a presentation on asset management and how this is used within the water authority Rijnland.

Project with the World Bank

One of the main topics in each meeting of the Economic Mechanism Romania group is a project the Romanian water authority (NARW) has with the World Bank. The goal of this project is to achieve sustainable financing of the economic mechanism in Romania. This means that the income of NARW is to be improved by 20 percent by imposing a higher levy. Mirela Ciucur, Head of NARW Economic Mechanism, gave an update on the progress of the project during the meeting. After working several years with the World Bank, an advice from the World Bank is now completed. In the advice, 4 scenarios have been prepared. 1 or 2 of the presented options are to be chosen by NARW in order to implement in the economic mechanism. In July of this year, a meeting between the World Bank and the European Commission on the bill will take place. In September of this year, the approval of the new law for improving the economic mechanism is scheduled.

Visit to the NWB Bank

The first day of meetings ended with one of the highlights of the week, which was a visit to the NWB Bank in the Hague, the bank voor the Dutch water authorities. Even for the Dutch participants this visit proved to be an eye-opener. Although being familiar with the bank, most participants underestimated the magnitude of NWB. A nice presentation was given by NWB and there was plenty of time for all relevant questions to be asked.

Stakeholder management through Golden Circle Theory

The second day kicked off with an interactive session, guided by Marcel de Ruijter, a Dutch member of the Blue Deal team for Romania. The session was about stakeholder management, which is a crucial subject for getting the World Bank advice approved. The session was based on the so called ‘Golden Circle Theory’. A number of questions had to be answered by all the participants, after which the outcomes were shared and discussed among the group. For NARW, it is crucial to approach stakeholders such as the Ministry of Finance, Environment, and associations of municipalities.

AI in water management

After the session on stakeholder management, the Romanian delegation had arranged an online presentation on AI-powered automation in water management. George Roth and Andrej Nagy (external consultants responsible for AI in the public sector in Romania) gave a presentation on AI based on ‘The UIPath Platform where automation turns AI’s promise into real-world impact’. After the presentation, it was agreed upon that a practical example is to be worked on for the next work visit.

The use of KPI’s to monitor and improve performance

The next work visit is to take place in October 2024 in Timisoara, Romania. As a teaser for this visit, a presentation on the involved water authority (Banat) was given by Veronica Caxi (Economic Director at Banat). During the next work visit, we will discuss the use of KPI’s in order to monitor and improve performance. During our last meeting in Leiden, we also talked about this topic. For this meeting, a group of 4 experts from the World Bank joined online.

Apart from the various presentations and discussions, there were also a number of field trips, among which a fantastic guided boat trip from the municipality Katwijk to Leiden with its various canals. Altogether, the participants look back on what was again a fruitful and inspiring week.

Blog: Climate Scan Blue Deal South Africa

As part of the KIWI programme (learning programme for the Blue Deal), Tom Overgaauw has been exploring 'Windows of Opportunity' for climate adaptation in the Western Cape of South Africa. These are opportunities that currently present themselves to tackle the negative impacts of climate change. He wrote a blog about his findings.

Over the past year, I have been working on creating a ‘Climate Scan’ for the area. This concise scan aims to map the effects of climate change and identify the major risks. It serves as the basis for the search for the Windows of Opportunity.

The problem: working in silos

The Climate Scan has now been completed, and interesting conclusions have been drawn. We shared the results with various organisations. Notable findings from the climate scan include the large amount of available information and plans. High ambitions have been formulated, and many organisations have developed plans. However, very little seems to actually get off the ground. The biggest problem we identified, is working in so-called silos. Governments and companies are insufficiently aware of each other’s plans, and successful collaborations rarely happen. Nevertheless, everyone recognises that collaboration is ‘key’ to solving climate problems.

This problem is quite familiar to us in the Netherlands as well, as we often say we need to collaborate better. This conclusion forms the first ‘Window of Opportunity’. So both the Dutch and the South Africans can both contribute and learn a lot. South Africa, also known as the Rainbow Nation, is a country with a great mix of ethnicities and cultural differences, making successful collaborations extra challenging. Success stories can serve as a inspiration for the Netherlands.

Drought and rainfall

Another conclusion concerns water availability. Often when we think of South Africa’s weather, we think of drought. This is indeed a problem, but despite this image, there is quite a lot of rainfall in this part of Africa. In some areas, almost twice as much as in the Netherlands annually. The biggest problem does not seem to be the availability of water, but rather the distribution. Especially with the growing population and the increasing water demand, smart ways need to be devised to always have sufficient water available. This is something we also struggle with in the Netherlands. How do we ensure sufficient water in dry times while also having enough space for water in wet times?

Decision support system for fair water distribution

With these 2 opportunities in mind, we increasingly delved into methods to achieve smart and collaborative water management solutions, ways to collaborate across borders. The key, we believe, could lie in a decision support system that, based on data, helps to achieve fairer water distribution among different parties throughout the seasons. Through a feasibility study, we investigated whether this concept is promising to pursue further. Various parties responded enthusiastically. We also immediately investigated what the needs are within this system and which are most urgent, for example, prediction of droughts or early warnings for floods or wildfires. We are now trying to turn this into a project.

2 Young Experts represent Blue Deal Peru at World Water Forum

2 Young Experts (Yeppers) Aurora Mija and Edin Dávila from Blue Deal Peru participated in the 10th World Water Forum in Indonesia. Mija was also as representative of the World Youth Parliament for Water, after being selected from 650 young professionals worldwide.

Aurora Mija presenting during a session

Mija and Dávila work as Yeppers for the Blue Deal at the Water Resource Councils of the National Water Authority ANA in Piura and Tumbes.

The 2 young professionals shared Blue Deal initiatives on water governance, climate adaptation and social inclusion in 4 sessions at the forum. They discussed the importance of including local communities in decision-making, the alignment between water systems conservation and carbon credits generation for boosting local economies. They also talked about the exchange of experiences on transboundary water management between and the advantage of information systems that are locally generated for decision-making.

The information and inspiration they received during the forum will be shared with the Peruvian colleagues in their regions and the Blue Deal teams.

Edin Dávila presenting during a session

Successful visit to World Water Forum Indonesia

From 18 to 25 May, the World Water Forum took place in Indonesia. Dutch Water Authorities (DWA) and the Blue Deal attended the forum with a small delegation. Luzette Kroon, Chair of the Blue Deal Steering Committee, led the delegation. She closely coordinated her agenda with Meike van Ginneken, the Dutch Water Envoy. They participated in various sessions and made arrangements with (potential) new cooperation partners.

Luzette Kroon (in the middle with microphone) is presenting during a session with The Nature Conservancy

Kroon: “During the World Water Forum, the Netherlands was able to convey the necessity of joint action. Drought, extreme rainfall, and water pollution pose significant challenges worldwide. We have positioned ourselves with the Blue Deal programme, as a strong partner to address international water challenges.”

She continues: “We discussed the importance of cooperation across the entire water (supply) chain and sustainable financing for operation and maintenance. During various sessions, we also emphasised the importance of preventing pollution at the source, local implementation, and the execution of the Water Action Agenda (the outcome of the UN Water Conference last year). I look back on a successful forum.”

Blue Deal contributes to continuity of regional water management

We spoke with Blue Deal staff from the Palestinian Territories, South Africa, Peru, and Indonesia. They all emphasised how much the Blue Deal, often in combination with the WaterWorX programme of the Dutch drinking water companies, meant to them. The long-term relationship is considered crucial, and the substantive cooperation significantly contributes to the continuity of water management.

Improving and protecting watersheds

Regarding sustainable financing for management and maintenance, we have called for attention to climate-resilient watershed investments. These are investments aimed at improving and protecting watersheds to make them resilient to the effects of climate change, often in the form of nature-based solutions, such as reforestation and planting vegetation to prevent erosion and retain water. Recently, we entered into a collaboration in this area with The Nature Conservancy, VEI (WaterWorX), and NWB Fund. We officially announced this collaboration during the forum.

Potential cooperation with development banks

The delegation also met with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Islamic Development Bank. These development banks aim to promote the economic development of Asian and Islamic countries. During the discussions, it became clear that the approach of climate-resilient watershed investments aligns well with their goals. Additionally, there is growing interest in investing more in water governance. The approach of the Dutch water authorities has also attracted the interest of the banks. The Blue Deal and the development banks will further discuss this during International Water Week in Stockholm at the end of August.

Compensating water footprint

During the UN Water Conference in 2023 in New York, Blue Deal was involved in the launch of the Water Footprint Compensation platform. During the World Water Forum, there was renewed attention for this. The Water Footprint concept aims for a ‘water-safe’ world where water users take responsibility for restoring a healthy water cycle. For example, companies that use a lot of water can compensate for their water footprint. This money can be used for investments in water-saving or restorative measures. This is actively pursued by the Blue Deal in the Palestinian Territories (with BluElephant) through a pilot. Discussions are also underway with Blue Deal South Africa. Additionally, there is significant potential within other Blue Deal partnerships.

What works and what doesn’t work in water governance?

One of the Blue Deal’s solutions is in the OECD Handbook of What Works. This handbook is all about actionable solutions for improving water governance.

This handbook was presented on May 23, during a session at the World Water Forum in Indonesia. Luzette Kroon, Chair of the Blue Deal steering committee, was one of the speakers for this session.

The Blue Deal’s solution is featured at #52. Here you can find more information about monitoring the progress in water governance

> Read the handbook

Young talents work on InspirAgua cases at Wetskills Colombia

From May 27 to June 7, 'Wetskills Water Challenge' takes place in Cartagena, Colombia. Colombian partners of the Blue Deal programme InspirAgua provide 2 interesting cases that young water professionals will work on. 6 of these young talents participate through InspirAgua.

Programme manager Ellen Bollen: “With Wetskills we get a fresh look at water issues in Colombia. It is a great opportunity for young professionals to gain international experience and we are very curious about their solutions. So, it’s a win-win situation!”

What is Wetskills?

Wetskills is a programme that brings together young people from all over the world. They spend 2 weeks searching for creative solutions to water problems in a changing world. Every year, there are Wetskills challenges in a number of countries across the continents. Wetskills already visited Colombia in 2018.

2 InspirAgua cases

3 candidates from Dutch Water Authorities and 3 candidates from the Colombian Corporaciones Autónomas Regionales (CARs), among others, will be working on the cases. The CARs CDMB and Cundinamarca provide 2 of the 3 cases on behalf of InspirAgua. One case covers the unpredictable droughts in the Tona River. How can we create flexible water availability there? The other case concerns the Río Frío microbasin. How can we use water sustainably as a stimulant for socio-economic growth?

The results will be presented on June 7 at the Acodal international conference Water, Sanitation, Environment and Renewable Energy. InspirAgua will be present in the Dutch Pavilion of Holland House.

What is InspirAgua?

InspirAgua stands for cooperation and exchange for clean, safe and sufficient water in Colombia and the Netherlands. The Blue Deal programme aims to improve water conditions by 2030 for 15 million Colombians in the Rio Magdalena basin. The Blue Deal programme works with national and regional partners on climate-proof and socially inclusive water management. We are committed to making working plans for river basins, an adequate crisis organisation, knowledge and insight based on data, purifying wastewater, and prevention and enforcement of pollution. Through collaboration and knowledge exchange on these themes, we will become better water managers in both Colombia and the Netherlands.