Blog: Inspiring water solutions for city ecosystems worldwide

Climate Resilience

Global urbanisation and climate change are impacting the supply of safe and clean drinking water in cities so that the supply can barely keep up with the demand. And urban sewage systems cannot drain the water fast enough during heavy rainfall. Reasons enough for 'the city as an independent ecosystem' to take centre-stage on 21 March as one of the three themes during the Nationale Watertechnologie Week (NWTW, national water technology week). Together with Water Alliance and ENVAQUA, NWP is facilitating three days of inspiring sessions and ample networking opportunities coinciding with the Aqua Nederland Vakbeurs trade fair. NWP's Renske Verhulst is closely involved in preparing the NWP day during the Nationale Watertechnologie Week in Gorinchem.

Renske Verhulst (middle) at the AIWW Summit in November 2018

Urban water

“Water Alliance, ENVAQUA and NWP have put together a broad palette of innovative solutions for the NWTW event. On 21 March, ‘NWP day’, NWP will focus on urban water. Cities are growing fast and this is creating multiple interconnected challenges that involve water in many different ways. How do we ensure that there is enough clean drinking water in the future? How do we deal with the purification? And what do we do in case of heavy rainfall or prolonged drought?

Everything is interconnected

When we look for solutions, we realise that water in the city does not stand alone. It is related to almost every other aspect and system of the city – everything is interconnected. That is why we talk about the city as an ecosystem, it is all about integrality. On 21 March, we will cover several urban ecosystem issues such as the buffering and reuse of water, new natural ways of purification and ways in which you can close the water cycle locally. May I briefly introduce the speakers to you?

Toon Boonekamp of Arcadis will take you through alternatives for flood prevention in the city; water as a means of avoiding heat stress; and the link between urban water and concepts such as urban farming.
Mads Warming of Danfoss will speak about the successful way in which an energy-neutral river basin that serves 200,000 people has been created in Denmark's Aarhus.
Diederik van Duuren of Waterleiding Maatschappij Limburg presents the Super Local Project in Kerkrade, that aims to close the water cycle of 125 homes.
Klaasjan Raat of the water research institute KWR shows how horticulturists in Dinteloord use purified residual water from Suiker Unie in dry periods.
Nikki Dijkstra, ecologist at Hoogheemraadschap De Stichtse Rijnlanden, explains Aquafarm, a new method of waste water purification with the connected and compact deployment of flora and fauna.
And finally, Marcel Paalman of the water research institute KWR and Wilrik Kok of Field Factors will present the Urban Water Buffer in Rotterdam. Rainwater falling on the roof of the Sparta stadium is temporarily stored in the subsoil and is then used for sprinkling the club’s artificial turf.

The speakers will not only highlight their success stories, but we also asked them to share the challenges they are facing along the way and how they are trying to solve them.

Must-visit fair

Of course there are many more reasons to come to Gorinchem, such as the Aqua Nederland Vakbeurs, the must-visit water management fair in the Netherlands. You’ll will also meet some of our NWP members there. I would also like to draw your attention to the programme on the other two days of the Nationale Watertechnologie Week. ENVAQUA is organising the programme on 19 March, which mainly focuses on the safety of our drinking water and the development of new solutions in relation to the increasing capriciousness of the climate.

Water Alliance will deal with another hot topic on 20 March: maintenance in the future, and how technology can help. Think of smart monitoring, the Internet of Things and data science to help better predict and control processes.

Innovation pitches

Your visit to the NWTW and the Aqua Nederland Vakbeurs will not be complete without a walk along the Innovation Street. And don’t forget to head for the Aqua Lounge of Water Alliance, ENVAQUA and NWP to meet our experts and attend the innovation pitches. During lunch and closing drinks in our Aqua Lounge, there will be plenty of opportunities for networking.

Place your questions and solutions on the ‘Wall of Support’ in the Aqua Lounge and learn about other companies and their cases and solutions.

We believe that the presentations at NWTW and the innovations shown on the expo floor will give an inspiring picture of the water technology challenges and solutions that the Dutch water sector is working on. I look forward to seeing you in Gorinchem!”