WaReNam

I believe that the WaReNam project will provide innovative and strategic solutions to Namibia’s water security, by appreciating wastewater as another important water source to be developed.

Maria Amakali

By jointly creating a national water reuse strategy, we could harness a huge untapped potential and utilise about 37% of Namibia’s domestic wastewater outside of Windhoek.

Dr.-Ing. Martin Zimmermann

Abstract

WaReNam aims to address the urgent issue of water scarcity in Namibia and to support the Namibian Government in developing and operationalising a national water reuse strategy. This novel strategy could potentially increase water security and diversify existing water resources by effectively utilising municipal wastewater. The overarching research question guiding WaReNam is: “Can the integration of innovative technologies, adaptive governance and enhancement of capacity development provide a framework for the creation and implementation of a national water reuse strategy in Namibia?” This question arises from the co-design process conducted during the project’s initial phase, involving key Namibian stakeholders. Utilising a pioneering transdisciplinary real-world laboratory approach, WaReNam encourages stakeholder involvement in solutions, promoting a practical and scalable strategy.

Impact

A key stakeholder in developing and implementing a national water reuse strategy is the Namibian Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform. The National Implementation Committee (NIC) will be established to develop and oversee the implementation of the national water reuse strategy. The NIC will feature a multi-level institutional structure to facilitate cross-sectoral and crosslevel communication and cooperation. An Upscaling Blueprint will provide local authorities with guidelines and training materials for planning new water reuse facilities and scaling up pilot plants. Additionally, the nationwide Network of Local and Regional Authorities (NLRA), consisting of town and regional councils, will integrate local perspectives into the strategy development. The primary applications of the planned reuse are in agriculture and industry. The potential replicability of the strategy in regions with similar water resource challenges aligns the project with SDG 6, making a significant contribution towards global water security.

• On the technological front, WaReNam will provide solutions for different water reuse scenarios that can be adopted and multiplied to other locations.
• WaReNam’s governance objective is to co-produce effective governance structures and processes for developing a water reuse strategy together with the Namibian partners.
• Regarding capacity development, the goal is to develop a comprehensive and tailored capacity development approach for various stakeholder groups and personnel, ensuring the sustainable implementation of the water reuse strategy in Namibia across all levels. 

Project structure

The first three work packages Technology (WP 1), Governance (WP 2), and Capacity Development (WP 3) address different aspects of the three transformation process knowledge categories, which comprise system knowledge, orientation knowledge, and transformation knowledge. The last two work packages Financing Options and International Transfer (WP 4) and Dissemination and Project Management (WP 5) further contribute to transformation knowledge, providing strategic options for implementation and management of the water reuse strategy.

WP 1: Technology 

Lead partners: Technische Universität Darmstadt 

WP 1 provides exemplary and transferable solutions for two different water reuse scenarios that can easily be adopted and multiplied to other locations. To develop flexible fit-for-purpose technologies, two pilot sites were identified during the Initial Phase of the project together with the Namibian partners: Walvis Bay and Oshakati.

WP 2: Multi-Level Adaptive Governance 

Lead partners: ISOE 

WP 2 aims to co-produce effective governance structures and processes of the water reuse strategy together with Namibian partners. The suggested governance approach of a National Implementation Committee was co-designed by the project consortium and MAWLR. The National Implementation Committee (NIC) will be established for developing and overseeing the implementation of the national water reuse strategy. 

WP 3: Capacity Development 

Lead partners: Emschergenossenschaft 

WP 3 entails the development of a comprehensive and tailored capacity development approach for various stakeholder groups and personnel, ensuring the sustainable implementation of the reuse strategy across all levels. This approach is in response to the skill gaps in wastewater treatment identified during the initial phase, which highlighted the need for targeted education and training. 

WP 4: Financing Options and International Transfer 

Lead partners: ISOE 

The primary objectives of WP 4 are to explore financing options for water reuse plants and facilitate the international transfer of the water reuse strategy. This WP seeks to identify viable financing mechanisms for water reuse projects and promote the water reuse strategy’s adoption in other countries or regions. 

WP 5: Dissemination and Project Management 

Lead partners: ISOE 

The primary goal of WP 5 is to ensure efficient project management and effective dissemination of results and knowledge to relevant stakeholders and institutions. WP 5 consists of Project Management and Coordination, Communication Strategy and Dissemination as well as Monitoring, Evaluation and Impact Assessment.