Water and Development Partnership Programme
At IHE Delft, we believe that bringing together inclusive partnerships and diverse knowledge is key to solving water and development challenges. Therefore, we fund bold, creative and transdisciplinary projects that combine research, education and capacity-strengthening activities. Launched in 2008, the Water and Development Partnership Programme has been nurturing a community of scientists, practitioners and policymakers from over 40 countries, with the support of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Currently, IHE Delft coordinates two phases, phase 2 and 3, which run partly in parallel. While each phase has its own specific focus and targets, both aim to contribute to a peaceful, socially just and ecologically sustainable world.
The wealth of knowledge generated by our programme is now centrally located. To access inspiring resources from all our projects, explore our user-friendly online output repository.
Related
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2024 reflections: Water and Development Partnership Programme
The year 2024 has been an inspiring, yet challenging year for our Water and Development Partnership Programme. As it comes to an end, we reflect on the partnerships, experiences and achievements that shaped our efforts and impact over the past months.
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Rain of hope: Yemen's fight for water in a time of war
Yemen is one of the most water-scarce countries in the world, and a decade of relentless civil war has pushed it to the brink of an acute water crisis. The conflict has wrecked important water infrastructure and ruined traditional farming in cities—an important food source known as Maqashim. Families forced to flee their homes due to the war are adding to the strain and there isn’t enough clean water for both domestic and agricultural use. Each day, the need for sustainable water solutions becomes more urgent.
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Water wisdoms: a critical look at knowledge production in water and development
Conventional scientific knowledge on water—often tied to colonial ideologies—continues to cause harmful outcomes, including environmental degradation and social inequalities. Scholars and activists are increasingly advocating for new approaches to replace the current development pathway and reimagine our interaction with water.
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IHE Delft’s Water and Development Symposium to explore alternative knowledge systems
The second annual symposium of IHE Delft’s Water and Development Partnership Programme, to be held online on 14 November 2024, aims to foster critical discussions on how knowledge on water is produced and challenge the conventional, often colonial, perspectives that dominate current understanding of water and development.
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Dams at times of war: looming collapse of the Jebel Aulia Dam in Sudan
Water infrastructure is often targeted within tactics of warfare, either to control certain areas or populations or weaponized to deprive, poison or flush away the enemy. Due to its intensive maintenance and diligent operation requirements, large dams in particular can form – wilfully of negligently – a liability in times of war causing huge threat to the already vulnerable population, as is currently the case with the Jebel Aulia Dam in Sudan.
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Innovative approaches to agriculture in water-scarce areas: Lessons from Cairo/Africa Water Week
How to feed the world in a healthy, fair and sustainable way? And how to do this in the world’s most water-scarce areas, not only dealing with lack of water, but also related issues such as pollution and saltwater intrusion of groundwater?
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Bangladesh: Small community grants with big, green effects in growing cities
In Bangladesh, rapid and largely unplanned urbanisation has reduced critical green spaces in cities, leaving communities with fewer public recreational areas and increasing their vulnerability to flooding and other environmental challenges. The population increase in smaller municipalities, known as pourashavas, comes with many challenges that demand urgent investment in climate- and water-resilient urban infrastructure. In the expanding pourashavas of Keshabpur and Raozan, severe flooding has occurred, and water management challenges have worsened. Poor drainage, sanitation and waste disposal practices are now major problems that could lead to water insecurity and reduced quality of life.
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Water and Development Partnership Programme: InfoNile wins climate journalism award
InfoNile, a group of journalists supported by IHE Delft’s Water and Development Partnership Programme, was named a winner of a prestigious Covering Climate Now Journalism Award this month, along with other winners including BBC News, Reuters and the Nigerian Tribune.
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Water and Development Partnership Programme: Projects selected for funding
IHE Delft’s Water and Development Partnership Programme has selected 13 projects from over 200 proposals submitted in response to a call that targeted inter- and transdisciplinary projects from non-European low-and middle-income countries.
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Community-led action boosts water security on Maldivian outer islands
With their white sandy beaches and clear turquoise waters, it's natural to envision life on the islands of the Maldives as an aquatic paradise nestled in the Indian Ocean. But this paradise comes with challenges. Drinkable water, despite the seemingly water-abundant environment, is in short supply, particularly on the small, remote outer islands that are far removed from the bustling life of the capital, Malé. Climate change, urban development and water pollution have all resulted in a fragile and largely contaminated water system, making daily life hard for island residents.