Through the use of home-made mechanisms, or with different technological tools, the EUROCLIMA Urban Water project collects information and stores

data that allow them to work towards their goal of achieving integrated water resources management, while mitigating potential risks from droughts or floods. 

8 July 2022. Bogotá, Colombia. Water conservation and integrated water resources management enabling universal and sustainable access in urban areas are among the main objectives -and challenges - of the EUROCLIMA+ Urban Water projects. 

In this process, technology becomes a key ally to reduce risks, strengthen regulatory bodies, accompany communities, and move towards safe and quality water access. With home-made tools, or with the latest technologies, these mechanisms facilitate integrated water resources management.

These are some of the projects in which technology plays an important role:

• In Uruguay, the "Adaptation in Action - Santa Lucía Basin" project is implementing hydrological models for water management planning and water quality (WFLOW, DELWAQ and RIBASIM respectively), with equipment for the automatic measurement of precipitation (telepluviometers) and surface water quality parameters (multi-parameter probes). 

These tools will strengthen the Situation and Forecast Room of the National Water Directorate (Dinagua) of the Ministry of Environment, as a support to the early warning systems for floods and droughts, monitoring and predicting extreme hydro-meteorological events, for decision-making by the National Emergency System (Sinae).

These models will be operational on the Delft-FEWS platform, an operational system that facilitates decision-making related to water resources through data, mathematical models, maps and reports, and also provides flood forecasts for the cities of Durazno and Artigas. This will extend the current technological capabilities, as there will be a flood forecasting system for the Santa Lucía river basin, water quality modelling methods to evaluate specific scenarios and a water planning model that will provide support for resource management in the basin.

• In the Rontoccocha Hydrographic Unit, located at 4,400 metres above sea level, where the Water for Abancay project is implemented, the Rontoccocha meteorological station is located, which measures and records meteorological variability in order to collect information that can be used in the future. The unit consists of a pluviometer, which collects rainfall and precipitation data, and measures the ambient temperature.

The evaporation bank is also located there, which allows measuring the levels of evapotranspiration of the rain, to contrast these data with what is recorded by the rain gauge. According to Hernán Ibarra Cárdenas, responsible for the Supply Component of the project, the daily reading allows the volume of water to be identified and the amount of precipitation per day to be checked.

• For the Water Management in the SSMA project, which is implemented in the San Salvador Metropolitan Area, the collection of information to implement management models, with a focus on groundwater and wastewater, is fundamental. For this reason, one of the first activities of the project was the delivery of equipment to measure permeability and soil characterisation. 

Through these, information can be generated to identify water recharge zones for the protection of different sectors, creating the basis for the sustainability of the San Salvador Metropolitan Area. For example, soil characterisation will make it possible to identify the different types of soils in the region and their relationship with water - whether they capture rainwater, for example - in order to make better use of soils. With this, it is hoped that public policies aimed at guaranteeing access and sustainable and adequate use of water, and of the territories, can be modelled.

EUROCLIMA+ sector Water management with an urban resilience perspective

Through this sector of the EUROCLIMA+ programme implemented by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) and the French Development Agency (AFD), a total of seven projects will be implemented. For more information on each project, please visit: https://www.euroclima.org/en/water

About EUROCLIMA+

EUROCLIMA+ is a programme funded by the European Union and co-financed by the German federal government through the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), as well as by the governments of France and Spain through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation.

The Programme's mission is to reduce the impact of climate change and its effects in 18 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, promoting mitigation, adaptation, resilience, and climate investment. It is implemented according to the "Spirit of Team Europe" under the synergistic work of seven agencies: the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), the AFD Group: the French Development Agency (AFD)/ Expertise France (EF), the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the International and Ibero-America Foundation for Administration and Public Policy (FIIAPP), the German society for International Cooperation (GIZ) GmbH, and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).