Tools and guidelines towards a more sustainable and equitable water use
Europe is facing a major challenge due to the overexploitation of water resources, which generates ecological debt, threatens livelihoods, and ultimately weakens the economy. Factors such as climate change, growing development demands, and structural changes in sectors like agriculture and energy are worsening water scarcity and environmental degradation.
In response to this situation, the GOVAQUA project, funded by the Horizon Europe program, seeks to define what a sustainable transition in water management means and to provide tools and criteria to make it possible in Europe. To achieve this, it identifies, evaluates, and validates innovative instruments and approaches that integrate legislation, citizen participation, economic instruments, and digital tools and solutions.
In Andalusia, specifically in the Axarquía region (Málaga), one of GOVAQUA’s six Living Labs is working to reconcile competing water needs through the validation of a digital tool named IWAM. This tool integrates aspects related to water management, user participation, and hydroeconomic models. The rest of the Living Labs of the project are located in France, Finland, the United Kingdom, Romania, and between Finland and Sweden, where solutions are also being developed to address local water challenges.
