Colombia

This project aims to co-develop, with water management agencies, communities, and partner knowledge institutes and universities, the scientific evidence-base that is needed for the implementation of a sustainable water resources planning and policy in Colombia. Research is focussed on developing and validating methods for characterizing available water resources, and how these are then used within the context of the relevant policies in making equitable decisions that contribute to the sustainable use of water resources and protection of recharge areas and ecologically important areas, such as wetlands. In its final stages, the project has worked on disseminating knowledge, for example through their documentary video about the research which can be found on their website. 

Learn more by visiting the project website

Artisanal mining in Colombia, practiced for centuries by afro descendant miners, has shifted in the last two decades from mechanical extraction to the use of mercury, influenced by illegal and foreign miners. Negative health effects of mining activities have shown differentiated impacts on the exposed population depending on occupation, age and gender. This project uses an integrated ethnic, generational, and gender approach to conduct a synoptic-participatory assessment on the levels of environmental pollution and human exposure to mercury in two afro descendant communities affected by mercury pollution from artisanal mining in Alto Cauca: La Toma and Yolombó. The project is a south-south research collaboration led by Universidad del Valle together with Universidad de Brasilia, amongst others. During its final stage, the project focused on dissemination of research findings amongst the local communities through the creation and spread of (online) educational products and community socialization workshops, as well as disseminating results among the scientific community. A video was produced describing the project’s implementation and lessons learned. The video can be found below, or here.

Learn more by visiting the project website

This project was a five-year initiative to investigate and demonstrate improved approaches to sustainable multi-purpose water storage structures, aiming to make a measurable impact on sustainable development. S-Multistor was carried out by a consortium of leading international partner organizations responsible for developing and testing decision-support tools. S-MultiStor created a common research and innovation platform where researchers from IHE Delft and southern partner institutions engaged with leading international initiatives in a structured program of collaboration. Specific research outputs included improved decision support tools for basin-scale planning of new storage infrastructure and tools for improved design and operation of individual facilities. Targeted development outcomes included improved catchment management for water, food, and energy security that was socially and environmentally sustainable and contributed directly to Agenda 2030.

Learn more by visiting the project website

The objective of this project was to understand the processes that influence the use and management of water storage and accumulation in and near homes in neighbourhoods prone to the reproduction of mosquito-borne diseases and vulnerable to climate change in Barranquilla and Buenaventura. The study focuses on the experiences of women who have been exposed to diseases such as dengue, chikungunya and Zika and therefore we adopt a gender approach to understand the relationships between women, water and mosquitoes. It thereby focuses on the causes underlying the pervasiveness of these diseases, which affect large numbers of communities in neighbourhoods characterized by poor water services. The project is implemented by Fundación Evaristo García (lead), a CSO in Colombia, with partners in Colombia and IHE Delft.