Session: Water4All Green Week Partner Event 2024

A session in the frame of the Green Water Week Partner Event is organised (Water4All  and WaterCampus).

Session on May 30, Save the date! .

Programme details

13h00 Welcome and coffee

13h30 European Partnership Water4All

Opening Keynote by:

John Bell, Director “Healthy Planet” in DG RTD

Ariane Blum, CEO European Partnership Water4All, Update of Water4All current state of play and outcomes of 1^st transnational call

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14h00 - Water Resilient Smart Cities

This session will showcase how city districts can transform into smart factories for resources, energy and clean water. Maximising water and energy efficiency, reducing GHG emissions, by: recovering waste heat; producing biogas; reusing nutrients in agriculture, producing clean water for industrial and urban uses.

These examples show how districts act as living labs engaging their citizens, increasing social acceptance and achieve behavioural change. The increased awareness leads to lower water consumption and less pollution of wastewater.

Session chaired by Martijn Bijmans, Wetsus

Hamse Kjerstadius, NSVA, Helsingborg, Sweden. Presenting Recolab and ANCHOR project. Recolab is IWA Wastewater Project of the Year 2022. Source separated sanitation applying vacuum toilets and kitchen grinders for organic waste become corner stones for sustainable urban districts. The high-quality effluent reduces pressures on precious drinking water sources.

Roundtable of municipalities and civil organisations:

• Luzette Kroon dijkgraaf Wetterskip, Regional Water Authority of Friesland. Developing a new city district with citizen engagement, limiting energy and water dependencies, by applying decentralised water treatment, energy production and storage.  Spoordok is an integral part of Water Living Lab WaterCampus Leeuwarden.
• Maria Jose Chesa Marro, Municipality of Barcelona, sharing how the emergency drought situation triggered new legislation for water savings. Water resilience is boosted by using greywater, rainwater and reclaimed water.
• Thorjørn Larssen, Deputy Managing Director at NIVA. The ecological status of the Oslo fjord has been severely affected by nitrogen excess from agriculture runoff and pollution from wastewater and drainage. Oslo region initiating improvements within all municipalities along the Fjord.

15h00 Coffee Break

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15h15 - Water Resilience using Nature Based Solutions at Catchment Scale

Many efforts are focused on more efficient use of water. This intervention is focused on generating creating more water through Nature Based Solutions. Creating green corridors connecting inland regions with the sea.

Building forward on valuable work on Nature Based Solutions builds forward on prior work of former Emeritus Professor Millan Millan (Spain) (Link here to learn more on the story of the mystery of the missing Mediterranean storms) and Dr. John D. Lui (China) (Link here to learn more on the story of Regrowing China's Loess Plateau).  Both have investigated the key role of natural ecosystems and the presence of vegetation in boosting regional water resilience, water availability, nature restoration and regional prosperity.

Session chaired by Nikolai Friberg, Aarhus University

Cees Buisman, Executive Board Member, Wetsus, European Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology. Presenting how Healthy Soils and Natural Water Production can boost European water resilience and combat Desertification in Mediterranean climate zones.

Claire Baffert, WWF, Senior Water Policy Officer, increasing water retention through nature-based solutions.

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16h00 Water-resilient industries in Europe

Industry is one of Europe’s main water users. In Northern Europe the manufacturing industry is even the largest one.

Microchips manufacturing, data centres, hydrogen production… Many technologies that will be key to Europe’s digital and green transition require a large quantity of high-quality water. However, this growing demand takes place within a context of drought and water scarcity, exacerbated by climate change and raises the essential issue of prioritisation of water uses.

This session will explore how to maintain Europe’s competitiveness and sovereignty in a rapidly changing world while guaranteeing access to water for households and agriculture.

Session chaired by Bertrand Vallet, DG Research & Innovation

Introductory remarks:

Bernard Van Nuffel, President of Aqua Publica Europea and Deputy Mayor of Jette (one of Brussels’ municipalities).

Preventing water conflicts in a context of water scarcity: The role of local authorities and water operators in reconciling competing needs.

Innovative solutions for water-resilient industries:

• Michel Saakes, Applied Research Professor at NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences. Applying direct seawater electrolysis to improve sustainability of Green Hydrogen production, minimising the use of chemicals, preventing brine formation and preventing enhanced water stress.
• Guillermo Zaragoza, Plataforma Solar de Almeria, Sustainable Desalination Living Lab in H2020 WaterMining

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17h00 - European Policy supporting Water Resilience

Reflections by European Commission and Belgian Presidency to improve water resilience through EU initiatives such as European Partnership Water4All.

• Bernard De Potter, head of agency and water director for the Flemish Region
• Joachim D’Eugenio, Adviser for Zero Pollution, DG Environment

Conclusion by Ariane Blum
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17h30 - Networking drinks

18h30 - End of Event