Nature-based smart watergrids for integrated water and drought management 

The WATERGRID Project is an initiative under the Horizon Europe program aimed at addressing increasing water scarcity and extreme droughts through the development and implementation of Smart Water Grids (SWGs). These grids integrate Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) for sustainable and climate-resilient water management at a catchment scale.

The main activities will be:

• Develop an open-access evidence portfolio to demonstrate the resource efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and environmental benefits of SWGs and NBS.
• Implement SWGs at 5 demonstration sites across diverse biogeographical regions, complemented by 3 large-scale validation sites.
• Collaboratively plan, design, and deploy SWGs with local stakeholders through Communities of Practice.

• Projected outcomes include a 16% increase in water availability, 2.87 million m³ of water stored, €1.43 million saved annually, biodiversity improvements (+10%), aquifer recharge (+2.3%) and carbon storage (+0.8%).
• Co-develop 58 innovative NBS and optimize their design, operation, and maintenance using tailored protocols, a digital platform, and a monitoring program.
• Develop an operational toolkit to guide participatory governance and business models.
• Produce policy briefs to align SWG implementation with EU strategies on climate adaptation, biodiversity, soil management, and water governance.
• Ensure outputs are scalable and adaptable for diverse contexts to maximize the replication potential of SWGs.