Over the last decades, pressure on water resources has intensified, driven by rising demands for food and energy, improved living standards and complex regional water management. Increased water abstraction has led to severe environmental impacts, including diminished water quantity and quality, groundwater depletion and biodiversity loss. Extreme droughts are expected to become more frequent and intense due to climate change, which could severely limit water availability and have a profound impact on agriculture, drinking water supply and ecosystems.
The "WATERGRID" project aims to evaluate and further develop the concept of the Smart Water Grid (SWG) concept. This system strengthens the resilience of the water supply against extreme droughts and is used within Integrated Catchment Management (ICM) – a holistic approach to the sustainable use of water resources in a catchment area.
A SWG is a distribution network of nature-based solutions (NBS) that slow, redirect and store water. These solutions are deployed in a particular area to help people survive droughts. The stored water can meet water needs and supplement groundwater or river water during times of stress. SWM treats the water cycle similarly to an energy grid, treating the entire catchment area with low-cost, large-scale NBS. Passive NBS promote soil infiltration and groundwater recharge, thereby increasing overall water resources. Active NBS, on the other hand, capture, store or treat water so that it can be used in private or public areas.
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