Water Management Innovations

💭Capturing water directly from the air. In many corners of the world, clean water isn’t just a convenience, it’s a daily struggle. Remote communities often rely on long treks or unreliable sources for something as basic as drinking water. But what if the solution wasn’t under the ground or through pipes, but already floating all around us - in the air? 🤔 Imagine a 30-foot structure, elegantly built with bamboo and eco-friendly mesh, quietly pulling moisture from the air be it dew, mist, or light rain. This is the Warka Water Tower, a remarkable solution developed by architect Arturo Vittori and his team at Architecture and Vision. Created for off-grid, water-scarce regions, this innovation delivers clean water without needing electricity. ✅With the ability to generate up to 100 liters of drinkable water per day, these towers have already made an impact in countries like Ethiopia, Haiti, Madagascar, Colombia, Brazil, and India places where water access is a constant challenge. Why it matters❓ ✅Eco-Friendly: Operates using natural atmospheric conditions, no power source required. ✅Cost-Effective: Built with locally available materials like bamboo and mesh, reducing expenses. ✅ Flexible Design: Easy to transport, build, and scale across remote communities. ✅Life-changing: Brings clean water access, supporting better health and community strength. A powerful reminder that sometimes, the answer is floating right above us. Video Credit: Warka Water #waterharvesting #architecture #tower #projects #innovation #design #engineering #technology #sustainability #solutions

𝗡𝗼 𝗽𝗶𝗽𝗲𝘀. 𝗡𝗼 𝗽𝘂𝗺𝗽. 𝗡𝗼 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗲𝘁, 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘄𝘀. Meet the Warka Tower. A 30-foot structure made from bamboo, mesh, and pure ingenuity. It looks like art. But it’s survival tech designed by Arturo Vittori for remote communities where water is scarce, in countries like Ethiopia, Togo, Haiti, India, Madagascar, and Colombia. 💧 It works without wires. 🌀 It uses dew, fog, and rain. 🌬️ It runs on nothing but air, gravity, and good design. How? Moisture condenses on a biodegradable mesh, Water droplets collect and flow into a basin below, In optimal conditions, it produces up to 100 litres per day. That’s enough to change everything: ✔️ Reduce waterborne disease ✔️ Free women and children from multi-hour water treks ✔️ Allow kids to attend school instead of fetching jerrycans ✔️ Restore dignity in places where water once meant walking, waiting, and risking And the best part? Built from local materials, Assembled by local hands, Designed to leave zero environmental footprint. It’s not a one-size-fits-all solution. It needs humidity. It needs maintenance. But that’s the point: 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗼𝘄. This is what happens when innovation meets humility. When the design is adapted to the land, rather than forced onto it. 💬 What’s one low-tech solution you’ve seen that deserves more attention? Sources: Warka Water Inc Water Credits: Iraj Janali, Pradeep Gupta 🔗 Follow Guillaume Burstert for real-world energy solutions. ♻️ Help your network: Like, comment, and repost.

#Stormwater Solutions in the #GCC: From Challenge to Opportunity The GCC region, traditionally known for its arid climate, has recently experienced unprecedented rainfall events, underscoring the urgent need for innovative stormwater management strategies. Last year, some GCC countries faced challenges with stormwater: - In April 2024, the UAE experienced its heaviest rainfall in 75 years, with up to 259 mm recorded over three days. Dubai International Airport, one of the world's busiest, saw more than 1,500 flights delayed or canceled due to flooding. - Oman received approximately 180 mm of rainfall in some regions, leading to significant flooding and loss of life. - Bahrain faced severe flooding after heavy thunderstorms, recording its second-highest rainfall event in history. These events highlight the pressing need to reconceptualize stormwater—not as a nuisance but as a valuable resource. Adopting a zero-liquid discharge mindset ensures that every drop of rain is captured, treated, and reused, turning potential hazards into assets. Innovative Solutions are becoming more effective: - #SmartDrainage systems that use AI to predict rainfall patterns and adjust water flow in real-time to prevent urban flooding. - Permeable pavements that allow rainwater to seep into the ground, reducing surface runoff and replenishing groundwater reserves. - Stormwater harvesting systems that collect and store rainwater for irrigation, cooling, or industrial use, reducing reliance on desalination. - Underground water tunnels, inspired by systems in Singapore, that can divert excess water away from urban centers. - #NaturebasedSolutions such as restoring natural waterways and expanding green spaces to enhance the land’s ability to absorb and manage rainwater. Beyond #Flood Prevention: A robust stormwater strategy offers multiple benefits. It strengthens water security by reducing dependence on desalination. It lowers infrastructure repair costs caused by repeated flood damage. It also opens up economic opportunities in urban planning, water technology, and #infrastructure resilience. Rain is becoming an integral part of the GCC’s climate reality. The choice is between reacting to floods or proactively designing cities that harness stormwater as an asset. With the right investments, the region can lead in innovative water management. Amer Lahham Filippo Ghizzoni Elias Al Akiki Ghadi Turk Hussein Khalife Kearney Kearney Middle East and Africa #CenterforSustainableFuture #IdeaoftheDay

For centuries, nature did the job we now ask concrete to do. Wetlands store water. Floodplains absorbed floods. Soils filter pollution. Then we engineered those systems out of existence, replacing them with pipes, pumps and treatment works designed for a more stable climate. That trade-off is now unravelling. In my latest column for Water Magazine, I argue that nature's functioning ecosystems are critical water infrastructure. They store and slow water, reduce flood peaks, improve raw water quality, and lower long-term treatment and maintenance costs. We just forgot to value them. What’s changing now isn’t the science, it’s the business rationale. Nature-based assets can: • lower opex • reduce future capex • extend asset life • deliver measurable outcomes across AMP cycles IPBES matters because it signals a shift from climate ambition to adaptation and resilience. For the water sector, that means nature moves from the margins of sustainability strategies into the core of infrastructure planning. The future of water resilience won’t be high-tech or low-tech. It will be right-tech: engineered and nature-based solutions working together, each doing what they do best. Sometimes the solution to the future lies in something we once left behind. 👉 Full article here: https://lnkd.in/eWnajM_r #WaterResilience #NaturePositive #WaterInfrastructure #ClimateAdaptation #IPBES

New Publication!! 🌍 Overcoming barriers to the adoption of water-saving technologies in Jordan: policy pathways for transforming knowledge, attitudes, and practices💧 Authors: MAHA Al-ZU'BI, Ph.D. Nafn Amdar Youssef Brouziyne Jordan is facing a severe water scarcity crisis, worsened by rapid population growth, climate change, and the overuse of limited groundwater. With per capita water availability at just 61 m³/year—far below the global threshold of 500 m³/year—it’s one of the most water-scarce countries in the world. 🌿 The agricultural sector, which consumes nearly 48% of the country’s freshwater, is hit especially hard. The reliance on inefficient irrigation methods has led to low water productivity, particularly in the highlands, where productivity is only JOD 0.36 per m³, far below the potential achievable with Water Saving Technologies (WSTs). 💡 However, several barriers hinder the adoption of these critical technologies: - Financial Constraints 💸 - Limited Extension Services 📚 - Technical Gaps 🔧 - Unequal Access, especially for smallholders and marginalized communities 🚜 Many farmers struggle to integrate WSTs into their practices without proper guidance and support. Aligning farmers' knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) with water conservation goals is key to ensuring the successful adoption of these technologies. 🌱 To address these challenges, a multi-faceted approach is required: 💧Research & Tailored Support: Researchers can pinpoint adoption barriers, while practitioners offer targeted guidance to overcome them. 💧Policymaker Action: Policies should encourage WST adoption through financial incentives, education, and research. 💧Education & Awareness Campaigns: Farmers need to understand the long-term benefits of WSTs for sustainable farming. 💧Financial Support: Subsidies or low-interest loans can help make these technologies more accessible, especially for smallholders. 💧A Farmer-Centric Approach: A Market Systems Development (MSD) strategy can improve the market system surrounding WSTs, while peer learning and strong extension services offer ongoing support. By tackling these issues, we can ensure long-term water security and agricultural productivity for Jordan. Together, we can drive the adoption of water-saving technologies and pave the way for a more sustainable future. 🌱 #WaterSecurity #Agriculture #Sustainability #Jordan #WaterSavingTechnologies #ClimateChange #Innovation #WaterConservation #AgricultureSustainability #FutureOfFarming #MarketSystemsDevelopment International Water Management Institute (IWMI) Read full Policy Brief: https://lnkd.in/epr2fWpT

We spent a century building trillion-dollar systems to move water. Omar Yaghi built a box that makes it. Yaghi won the 2025 Nobel Prize for Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs): synthetic crystals that act like tiny sponges. AI helped to figure out the shape. A few grams can have the inner surface area of a football stadium. Think about that. More than 2 billion people still don’t have safe drinking water. His company Atoco wrapped MOFs into a water-from-air machine: Air flows in. MOFs grab water molecules. Sun heats the material. Water vapor comes off, then condenses into drinkable water. No grid power. No pipes. No desalination. It works at ~20% humidity. Why it matters:  ↳ Fully off-grid, powered by solar heat ↳ Container-sized ↳ Deployable to disaster zones, desert villages, islands Yaghi tested the prototype in the Mojave Desert. It worked. Scale looks like this: 1 unit: ~1,000 liters/day for a village 10 units: a hospital through a drought 100 units: steady water for a whole region Places that never had pipes may not need them. For decades we chased bigger, centralized systems. This heads the other way: small units you can add, move, and run anywhere. ♻️Share this with someone building in the real world. Follow me for ideas on living through the AI era—and why human leadership still decides what happens next. Sources: Economic Times (23 Feb): "Nobel Prize winner built a machine that extracts 1,000 liters of water from air" – Scalability, global relevance. Atoco Website: atoco.com – Company site detailing MOF tech, 1,000L/day off-grid units, and mission. AgTech Navigator (20 Jan): "Atoco targets commercial rollout" – Death Valley tests, 1,000-4,000L variants. Image: @engineeringfacts

💧 Water Risks and Stewardship: What Every Business Needs to Know Water is life. But for businesses, it’s also a source of risk and opportunity. In my last post, We talked about water use disclosure and the importance of context, especially in water-stressed areas. Today, let’s dive deeper into water risks and how companies can step up as water stewards. Here’s the reality: Water risks aren’t just about scarcity. They come in many forms, and each requires a different approach. Let’s break it down. 🌊 The Three Types of Water Risks Physical Risks -Too Little Water: Droughts and water scarcity can disrupt operations, especially in water-stressed regions. -Too Much Water: Flooding from extreme weather events (think hurricanes or swollen rivers) can damage facilities and halt production. What can businesses do? -Plan. -Harden existing facilities. -Optimize inventory management. -Improve water efficiency. Reputation Risks -In water-stressed areas, using more than your “fair share” can spark public outrage. -Social media amplifies criticism, and no company wants to be seen as depriving communities of water for basic needs. What can businesses do? -Be willing to sacrifice. -Embrace brand sacrifice. -Communicate transparently. Regulatory Risks -Public outcry can lead to stricter regulations. -Politicians respond to water crises by tightening rules, and businesses must adapt. What can businesses do? -Stay ahead of regulations. -Partner with stakeholders. Water Stewardship: Going Beyond Risk Management Managing risks is just the first step. True leadership means becoming a water steward. Here’s how some companies are leading the way: -Coca-Cola has committed to replenishing every drop of water it uses. How? -Improving watershed ecosystems to recharge aquifers. -Helping communities and farmers use water more efficiently. -Treating wastewater to make it reusable. -Closing plants in severely water-stressed areas when necessary. Their efforts have been verified by third parties like the Nature Conservancy and Deloitte, setting a high bar for others to follow. The First-Mover Advantage: Companies that act now will have access to the most cost-effective solutions. Those who wait will face steeper costs and tougher challenges. Here’s what I’ve learned: -Efficiency is key. -Fairness matters. -Leadership pays off. What are our water risks, and how can we mitigate them? Are we using water efficiently and fairly? How can we go beyond risk management to become true water stewards? #WaterStewardship #Sustainability #ClimateAction #RiskManagement

Recommended reading! About Rethinking Water in Urban Design "Design as Water" is an excellent handbook by Henning Larsen and Ramboll that invites urban professionals to view and act in the world differently - this time focusing on water. The beautifully designed guide combines images and text seamlessly, creating an engaging resource for practitioners seeking transformative approaches. The Urgency is Clear The climate crisis has intensified water volatility dramatically. Since the 2010s, flooding and heavy rainfall frequency has increased by over 50%, with water-related disasters comprising 90% of all natural disasters. By 2050, half the world's population is expected to live in water-stressed areas. Current rigid water systems are poorly equipped to adapt to these changes. The conventional paradigm of controlling water - forcing it within artificial boundaries and treating it as an exploited resource - has reached its limits. Water as Stakeholder This companion, developed through a co-creative process with numerous contributors, challenges professionals to reimagine water not as a resource to manage, but as a vital stakeholder with its own voice and needs. The guide offers practical changes for urban projects: Project Evaluation: Incorporating water impact as screening criteria, asking "What if water was our client?" when challenging project briefs. Team Integration: Appointing water stewards and integrating water experts who understand local water dynamics. Site Understanding: Looking beyond project boundaries to grasp interconnected water systems - watersheds, groundwater, and connections to larger water bodies. Long-term Vision: Designing for water's needs over 10-500 years, anticipating climate impacts whilst restoring historical interventions that constrained flows. Practical Implementation Rather than controlling water, the approach advocates giving water space through natural flows, green infrastructure, and permeable surfaces. The guide embodies water's qualities - connected, responsive, transparent, ever-evolving, playful - suggesting meandering processes rather than linear approaches. For planners, developers, and policymakers, this represents designing resilient urban futures. Water doesn't need humans, but humans cannot survive without water. For another excellent project by Henning and Larsen on how teenage girls experience the city, see my post: https://lnkd.in/e6sEiAru #UrbanPlanning #WaterStewardship #ClimateResilience #SustainableDesign #WaterManagement #NotaRuimte #BodemEnWaterSturend #Omgevingsvisie NHL Stenden Ruimtelijke Ontwikkeling Franziska Meisel

Financing #water infrastructure is always complex, imagine in fragile settings! But this week at IMD's Driving Innovative Finance for Impact #DIFIprogram, we dared to do it Here are the transformative water solutions pitched to our expert panel 2: Frederik Teufel Helene Willart Petra Demarin Mike Pfister 🔹 Aden Water System Transformation: In Yemen's largest port city, 1.5 million people lack reliable water access, with a stalled $1B masterplan and 45% water losses. A three-phase approach combines catalytic grants leading to concessional finance for implementation with the support of ICRC's 50+ year presence Goma West 🔹 Goma Resilient Water Services (GRWS): Recurring conflicts and volcanic threats have left 2 million people relying on unsafe water, facing constant disease risks. This projects aims to scale up through innovative blended finance a previous success. The expansion combines World Bank loans, development grants, and private sector participation through Virunga as operator. Seven work packages, from pipeline replacement to capacity building, are designed to create a sustainable water system, serving as a model for fragile settings. 🔹 Uganda Refugee Settlements Water Initiative: In a country hosting 1.7 million refugees, Nakivale and Kyangwali settlements struggle with just 11L of water per person daily—far below the 20L standard. Blended finance mechanisms combining EU/donor grants for feasibility and behavior change, AfDB/World Bank concessional loans for infrastructure, and innovative utility payment models are being explored to transform access for 70,000 households. 🔹 Water at the Heart: South Sudan faces extreme water insecurity, worsened by floods and droughts. A national plan, led by the Ministry of Water in partnership with the Red Cross, aims to change this by strengthening governance, improving borehole infrastructure, and catalyzing blended finance for long-term resilience. With €6.6M secured and an additional €4.4M in soft commitments, this initiative leverages the fact that every $1 invested in WASH generates up to $7 in returns. 🔹 Ghana Urban WASH Project: Low-income communities face significant barriers to water access, despite Ghana Water Ltd. (GWL) having surplus treatment capacity. Affordability and infrastructure limitations have hindered connections in underserved areas. This initiative leverages underutilized water systems, optimizes service delivery, and incorporates social connection funds to ensure affordability and sustained demand. With a projected 1:6 ROI, the approach enhances resilience while making water access financially viable. #Grants alone won’t solve these challenges—#innovativefinance is essential. #WaterSecurity #imdimpact

Inspired by Emma Howard Boyd CBE's post from earlier today, I was reflecting on London's predicament. London stands at a crossroads in how it manages water resources & strengthens its resilience to climate change. W/ rising populations, aging infrastructure, & increasingly extreme weather patterns, the city’s ability to secure its water future & protect against floods is under huge pressure At the heart of the challenge are 2 interconnected risks: water scarcity & flooding. By the 40s, daily water deficits of up to 400m litres could threaten supply, while rising groundwater, heavy rainfall, & overwhelmed infrastructure pose flooding risks for homes, businesses, & transport networks. Climate extremes are no longer hypothetical & our systems need urgent upgrades to adapt. To future-proof London, a multi-faceted approach is essential: 🔹 Demand mgmt: reducing water consumption through efficiency measures in homes and businesses is the most immediate and cost-effective step. Education, incentives, & smart technologies can cut waste & manage supply 🔹 Nature-based solutions: urban wetlands, sustainable drainage systems (SuDS), & green infrastructure are vital. These approaches allow nature to help manage water—absorbing excess during storms, replenishing groundwater, & cooling urban areas—while enhancing biodiversity & public spaces 🔹 Infrastructure innovation: London’s Victorian-era water systems are under enormous strain. Significant investment is needed to upgrade pipelines, reservoirs, and treatment facilities to meet modern demands & withstand climate stresses. Partnerships between public & private sectors are critical to fund this long-term transformation 🔹 Climate risk integration: ensuring that every major infrastructure project incorporates climate resilience is vital. Resilience should not be an afterthought but a foundation for planning & development We need collaboration too. Water utilities, government agencies, businesses, and communities must work together to implement solutions that balance supply, demand, and risk. This means aligning incentives, investing in innovation, & embracing a holistic view of water management that protects both people & ecosystems. London has a unique opportunity to lead the way as a global city facing climate pressures. By combining smart tech, policy innovation, and nature-based solutions, it can build a water-secure future that safeguards lives, livelihoods, & the environment. Several urban areas across the UK face the dual challenges of both water scarcity & flooding, similar to London. Carbon Brief's work suggests examples include: 1. Cardiff 2. Leeds 3. Exeter 4. Newport These urban areas exemplify the broader national challenge of managing both flood risks & potential water shortages. Addressing these issues requires integrated water management strategies, investment in resilient infrastructure, & climate adaptation measures to safeguard communities & ensure sustainable water resources.