The initiative, of which the UB Solidarity Foundation is a partner, looks into nature-based solutions (NBS) for water reuse in rural areas of the SUDOE region.
The SOLLAGUA project, a three-year initiative co-funded by the Interreg SUDOE 2021-2027 programme that looks into nature-based solutions (NBS) for water reuse in rural areas of Spain, France and Portugal, held its second consortium meeting on June 20–21, 2024. The event was organized by the Portuguese partners Tecnico Lisboa and Águas do Tejo Atlântico at the Fábrica de Água de Alcântara, in Lisbon, and brought together representatives of the ten project entities as well as some associated partners.
The first day of the meeting was mainly dedicated to evaluating the state of the art of the project. Every partner provided an update on their respective contributions, outlining noteworthy accomplishments and insightful discoveries made since the kick-off meeting in Toulouse, in January. This cooperative information sharing made it possible to provide a thorough overview of the consortium’s accomplishments and cleared the path for efficient planning during the project’s subsequent implementation phase.
Another important issue on the agenda of the first day of the gathering was the need to optimize the process engagement of the 26 associated partners. Magali Gerino, the project coordinator from the Université Toulouse III – Paul Sabatier, underlined this task “in order to expand the scope of action of the project on all levels”.
During the second day of the meeting, the consortium focused its discussions on the obligations of the partners in terms of administrative and financial management and the communication and dissemination strategy. For the Interreg SUDOE, this aspect must be at the core of every work package with a view to raising awareness about project policy priorities andthe importance of this kind of European programme to build up a greener future.
Towards the end of the consortium meeting, partners had the chance to enjoy a guided underground tour of the Fábrica de Água de Alcântara purification plant.
The UB Solidarity Foundation and water management
The Solidarity Foundation of the University of Barcelona has extensive experience in WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) projects, which promote nature-based solutions for the sustainable management of water resources.
Currently, in addition to the SOLLAGUA project, the Foundation participates in the LIFE4Zoo project, funded by the LIFE program of the European Union, which promotes NBS so that the zoos of Barcelona and Liberec optimize the use of water.
On the other hand, in Senegal, together with the Gaston Berger University (UGB) of Saint-Louis and Món-3, the UB Solidarity Foundation is working on the implementation of low-cost, sustainable and environmentally friendly technologies for the sustainable management of wastewater and sanitation services in the Saint-Louis region; including the installation of an ecological wastewater treatment plant on the UGB campus.
Likewise, in Palestine, together with the Catalan Association for Peace (ACP), the UB Solidarity Foundation contributes to the training of women’s farmer cooperatives in areas such as water management. Meanwhile, in Southeast Asia, it has developed training programs on water resources in six universities and contributed to integrating nature-based water treatment technologies in six cities. In fact, more than 10 years ago, with the National University of Vietnam, the UB Solidarity Foundation created an industrial wastewater treatment plant with ecological systems in Hạ Long Bay, which was the first infrastructure of its kind (Constructed Wetlands) in Southeast Asia.
This news is related to the following SDG of 2030 Agenda:
