04.07.2012Institut für sozial-ökologische Forschung (ISOE)

BMBF delegation visits CuveWaters pilot projects in Namibia

From June 24th to 29th a delegation of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) visited the Cuvelai region in northern Namibia to get a first hand look at the CuveWaters pilot projects. Since 2006, a team led by ISOE has been implementing an Integrated Water Resource Management concept. With the aim of using water more sustainably, different water sources are being developed with the help of various technologies and used for diverse purposes.

Now the visitors from Germany were able to view the first facilities: the rain water collection system with its „Green Village“ in Epyeshona, the underground water storage facility with its greenhouse and gardens in Iipopo, the waste water treatment plant in Outapi as well as the desalination plants in Akutsima and Amarika. Representatives of the Namibian government accompanied the delegation.

In addition to presenting the various technologies and recent research results, one of the visit’s aims was also to discuss the ecological, economic and social potential and possibilities of the project. Another topic raised was the possibility of disseminating the CuveWaters research results locally.

The delegation also met with the project’s cooperation partners (the German Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources – BGR, the Desert Research Foundation of Namibia – DRFN and the German International Cooperation GmbH – GIZ), since the success of innovative water supply concepts depends strongly on cooperating with societal and private players on a local level.