DeStorM-DAR
Laufzeit
01.04.2021 - 15.05.2022
project description
Decentralised Stormwater Management in Dar es Salaam: Piloting Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) at Mburhati Secondary School.?
Floods pose a hazard to rapidly growing cities, particularly in the Global South and low-lying cities near coastal areas where population pressure, unplanned settlements and poor infrastructure are prevalent. Climate change increases the intensity and unpredictability of severe rainfall events, making adaptation essential in the coming years. DeStorM-DAR is a cooperation between HafenCity University, Bremen Overseas Research and Development Association (BORDA) and Ardhi University that aims to reduce flooding and the resulting flushing of pollutants and pathogens into water bodies that has severe impacts on public and environmental health.
The pilot project implemented blue-green infrastructure that is shown to improve the micro-climate through reduction of the urban heat island effect by evapotranspiration and shading, while also reusing and infiltrating valuable water resources onsite (groundwater recharge) and providing urban greening (with native plants) and other associated co-benefits (e.g. biodiversity and ecosystem services).
Once fully constructed, the performance of the pilot project’s different system components will be monitored and evaluated (M&E), and a long-term maintenance plan to ensure continuing operation will be developed. The project also aims to educate and train students and practitioners (capacity development) on water sensitive urban design (WSUD) as well as the role of nature-based solutions (NBS) in protecting biodiversity and providing low-cost and low-maintenance solutions to adapt to climate change. The pilot project will serve to create policy recommendations while validating and refining WSUD principles in the context of rapidly growing cities of the Global South through knowledge and technology transfer.