Category: Water supply / sewage

Safeguarding Critical Infrastructure through Risk-Informed Urban Development

Posted on by burkhard

Municipalities and regions from Southeast Europe, the South Caucasus and Germany are invited to participate in the regional learning process “Planning for Municipal Resilience” and jointly develop approaches to protect critical infrastructure.

Municipalities are increasingly facing complex risks: climate-related extreme events, technical disruptions, growing inter-dependencies between infrastructure systems and new security challenges threaten the functioning of urban areas. Protecting critical infrastructure – energy, water, transport, communication and health – has therefore become a central task of modern local governance.

The learning process brings together municipalities from Southeast Europe, the South Caucasus and Germany to exchange practical experience, develop joint solutions and strengthen local capacities for risk-informed urban development. The focus lies on integrated planning, multi-risk governance and the development of implementable project approaches to protect and strengthen critical infrastructure.

Who is the call for participation addressed to?

  • Professionals and managers from municipal administrations, municipal utilities and regional authorities
  • Staff working in planning, infrastructure, disaster risk management and municipal management
  • Cities, municipalities, districts and regions from Southeast Europe, the South Caucasus and Germany

Timeline and Format

  • Virtual kick-off meeting: End of April 2026
  • First face-to-face workshop (3 days): Beginning of June
  • Duration: approx. 1 year
  • Formats: on-site workshops, digital exchange modules and short expert missions (“peer visits”)

 

The learning process is structured in three phases:

  1. risk and vulnerability analysis,
  2. integrated planning and solution development, and
  3. implementation readiness and financing.
  4. Thematic priorities include urban systems and critical infrastructure resilience, integrated risk governance, and data, early warning and continuity management. The structured process promotes peer-to-peer learning and technical cooperation between municipalities in Europe and the partner regions.

Participation and Contact

The participation costs (accommodation and board) are covered. The conference language is English

Expression of interest deadline: 13 April 2026

Application: https://community.connective-cities.net/en/form/connective-cities-see-learning-p

Further information: Call for participation [pdf, 3 pages ]

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions:

Paulina Koschmieder – paulina.koschmieder@giz.de
Jimmy Yoedsel – jimmy.yoedsel@giz.de

Online Kick-Off for Municipal Water Resilience

Posted on by burkhard

24 March 2026 was the big day! The in-depth learning process “Water Resilience: Strengthening Municipalities against Drought and Heavy Rainfall Events” kicked off shortly after the World Water Day. Droughts, heatwaves, heavy rainfall and flooding are on the rise, putting a strain on infrastructure, public health and municipal budgets. At the same time, urbanisation is intensifying competition for water.

Many major cities are already experiencing severe water stress, and the global demand for water could significantly exceed the available supply by 2030.
Water scarcity has long been an obstacle to development for countries in the Global South, but in the future, all regions worldwide will have to adapt to fluctuating water availability and growing conflicts over its use. Water is set to become the defining strategic resource of the 21st century.

Key solutions are emerging at a local level. Although the broader circumstances vary greatly, local authorities face similar structural challenges, making exchange and collaborative learning particularly valuable.

As part of our ‘Deep Dive’ on the topic of ‘Water-Resilient Municipalities’, we are bringing together experts from eight municipalities in Benin, Germany, Kenya, India, Serbia and Sri Lanka. Over a two-year period, they will discuss innovative approaches, such as sponge city concepts, blue corridors and integrated blue-green-red infrastructure, and develop and implement locally tailored solutions to their respective challenges.

During the initial virtual meeting, the municipalities presented their local challenges, identified initial similarities, and prepared for the first in-person working meeting in Wuppertal in early May. Further updates from our ‘Deep Dive’ project will follow from May 2026.

The participating cities are: Natitingou (Benin), Dresden, Wunstorf and Wuppertal (Germany), Homa Bay (Kenya), Hyderabad (India), Niš (Serbia) and Akkaraipattu (Sri Lanka).

Handing Over Ceremony for the Climate-Sensitive City Development Strategy for Garowe

Posted on by erik

On September 25, 2024, the Garowe Municipality officially received the Climate-Sensitive City Development Strategy (CSCD), developed in collaboration with GIZ and the RACCA Working Group. This strategy offers practical solutions to pressing climate challenges in areas such as mobility, waste management, water resources, and green spaces.

Event Highlights:

  • Presentation of key sectors for climate-friendly urban development in Garowe.
  • Discussion on sustainable measures to improve urban infrastructure.
  • Formal handover of the strategy plan to the municipality, promoting the implementation of climate-friendly projects in Garowe.
  • Expert exchanges and collaborative discussions aimed at ensuring a resilient future for the city.

The ceremony marked the transition from planning to implementation, empowering Garowe in its efforts to become a sustainable and climate-resilient city.

We invite you to read the full publication and documentation of the event to explore the insights and strategies discussed in detail.

“Water for peace”

Posted on by erik

However, the latest Russian attacks on Ukraine in particular show that we are still a long way from peace in Europe. Russian bombs continue to destroy Ukraine’s water infrastructure, disrupting water and sanitation services for the people of Ukraine. Catastrophes such as the destruction of the Kakhovka dam have brought additional suffering to the population.

The Utility Platform is currently promoting 16 Solidarity Utility Partnerships between German and Ukrainian water companies.

Tackling the challenges of municipal waste management

Posted on by erik

Padang is a city of over one million inhabitants located on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. The Arau River flowing through the city center of Padang is heavily polluted with household garbage and is a main recipient of untreated wastewater. In order to make Padang more attractive to tourists and a more livable city for its inhabitants, the Padang administration developed the objective to clean Arau River with the support of a water sanitation expert.

Water Sensitive Urban Planning in times of Climate Change

Posted on by erik

Heavy rain and storm water events such as those in the Ahr Valley in Germany in 2021, or in Pakistan, Australia and South Africa in 2022, cause streams to swell to raging torrents, flood roads, destroy houses and bridges and lead to loss of life as well as damage worth billions. They occur suddenly and can only be predicted in the short term. According to a study supported by the World Bank, flood risk already affects 1.81 billion people, more than 20% of the global population, most of them in poor and middle income countries.

In consequence, local governments and municipal leaders, planners and service providers look for more integrated and inclusive solutions to avoid human, environmental and financial losses related to flood.

This Peer Learning Note (PLN) documents the practices and discussions shared between cities and partners during the Connective Cities Dialogue Event “The Role of Rain and Storm Water Management in Water Sensitive Urban Planning”, which took place from December 6-8, 2022 in Cologne, Germany.

Water sensitive urban planning – how can heavy rain and storm water be better managed?

Posted on by erik

Heavy rain and storm water events such as those in the Ahr valley in Germany in 2021 or in Pakistan, Australia or South Africa in 2022 cause streams to swell to raging torrents. They flood roads, destroy houses and bridges and important infrastructure. Yet not only do they cause damage worth billions – they also lead to loss of life. They occur suddenly, and can only be predicted at short notice. Due to climate change, these events will continue to increase in frequency and severity worldwide.

41 experts from 16 cities and eight countries accepted the joint invitation of Connective Cities with Stadtentwässerungsbetriebe Köln (StEB Köln) and United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) to this dialogue event in December 2022.

Twelve practical examples from five countries formed the starting point for an intensive peer consultation on which approaches can be used to minimise the risks of heavy rain and storm water events for people and municipal infrastructure. Existing projects were enriched and new project ideas emerged.

Water-sensitive urban planning – How can heavy rain and storm water be better managed?

Posted on by erik

Heavy rain and storm water events, such as those in Germany’s Ahr Valley in 2021 or in Pakistan, Australia and South Africa in 2022, cause streams to swell into raging torrents. They flood roads, destroy houses and bridges, as well as important infrastructure. Yet not only do they cause damage worth billions – they also lead to loss of life. They occur suddenly, and can only be predicted at short notice. Due to climate change, these events will continue to increase in frequency and severity worldwide.

Connective Cities organises opportunities for local government experts in Germany and worldwide to dialogue on relevant and current topics, in order to deepen development cooperation. 41 experts from 16 cities and eight countries accepted the joint invitation of  Connective Cities, Stadtentwässerungsbetriebe Köln (StEB Köln) and United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) to this dialogue event.

Twelve practical examples from five countries formed the starting point for an intensive collegial discussion on which approaches can be used to minimise the risks of heavy rain and storm water events for people and municipal infrastructure. Existing projects were enriched and new project ideas emerged. The documentation provides insights into this consultation process.

Qaraoun Future Hope Project

Posted on by erik

Amidst the energy crisis that Lebanon is facing, the municipality of Qaraoun has succeeded in overcoming major impediments to the provision of renewable energy to its residents. The renewable energy project ‘PV SOLAR SYSTEM- OUR FUTURE HOPE’ has addressed local needs for renewable energy, technical and vocational education and training, as well as community awarness raising. The project has adopted an inclusive approach that ensured gender-sensitivity throughout its components.

Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA) Sanitation and Water Project for Ghana

Posted on by erik

The Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA) Sanitation and Water Project was launched to increase access to improved and affordable sanitation and water services in the GAMA, including reducing the cost of a toilet from US$600 to about US$50. The GAMA project benefited more than 230,000 people in low-income communities, increasing household toilet coverage by 12%. Cholera and waterborne disease outbreaks have decreased thanks to improved environmental sanitation conditions, household sanitation facilities and 282 km of water pipelines.

Charlotte Akwaah Adjei, project manager of the project, describes (in English) the project’s approach and achievements in the podcast.

Listen to the podcast at YouTube: https://youtu.be/MRNfkALjmIw

More information: Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA) Sanitation and Water Project for Ghana