WEF Nexus pilot project in Reto Dosso, Niger
Sustainable water supply with analysis of water reclamation and integrated resource recovery potential as part of a climate change adaptation strategy
This project is part of a larger cooperation project titled “Science meets school – renewable energy powered water-food-economy Nexus for improvement of living conditions in the Dosso Region in Niger”.
The aim of the TUM project part is, to initiate a Nexus dialogue, build and strengthen academic networks on the topic, and to develop and implement a Nexus pilot project as part of a climate change adaptation strategy with sustainable water supply (drinking as well as other uses) coupled with an analysis of the potentials of water reclamation and integrated resource recovery as a key Nexus opportunity. This study is undertaken using a typical case study, a secondary school campus in a village in the Dosso Region of Niger. Using geographic information systems (GIS) the project will develop and visualize alternative development scenarios with suitable technology options as a basis for a participatory multi-stakeholder discussion in order to secure from the project outset the co-design/-creation process of the pilot project together with the local community, thereby enabling co-ownership. In parallel, the project aims to conduct capacity building locally to anchor sustainable use of water as part of a climate change adaptation approach in the region.
By supplying drinking water and water for various other uses in a ‘fit-for-purpose’ sustainably, e.g. for agricultural irrigation or aquifer recharge, the project aims to create a revenue stream at a model scale that in turn aims to enable a public-private-people organized operation. The potential of resource recovery through biogas and organic fertilizer generation is also analysed. The hypothesis is that such an innovative framework can be the foundation of an innovative decision-making and socio-economic governance model, that can contribute to more sustainable development of cities under climate change impacts as well as to achieve the UN SDGS, especially SDG6 Water und SDG2 Food Security. Further, the project aims to gain insights into the key enabling factors for operationalizing the Nexus approach and in particular water reclamation with resource recovery through the implementation of the pilot project, thereby generating results transferable to other regions. The pilot project is being developed and implemented as a lighthouse project for climate change adaptation, and will generate results with very high relevance for the built environment and cities in the region and worldwide.
Press release: https://www.th-koeln.de/hochschule/solaranlage-fuer-die-lokale-wirtschaft_76314.php
