The aim of this project was to improve the efficiency of wastewater ponds. Focus here were technical measures targeted towards water reuse for irrigation purposes. The sustainable operation of water treatment and irrigation were facilitated by training sessions and management structures. Another goal was to identify transfer potentials.
Research approach
A wastewater pond in Outapi, central-northern Namibia, served to analyze different methods of water treatment, irrigation and plant cultivation. The project team consisted of members from research institutions, practice partners as well as from the municipality. EPoNa pursued an integrated systems approach which comprises wastewater collection, treatment and reuse. Aspects of governance as well as adapted management structures and to develop methods of finance controlling were investigated. Additionally, a social-ecological impact assessment and an analysis of transfer potentials were conducted and a handbook that can be used for training operators and decision makers secured the plants’ long-term operation.
Research and project partners
- Technical University of Darmstadt, Institute IWAR, Department of Wastewater Technology
- Institute of Environmental Engineering and Management at the University of Witten/Herdecke
- University of Geisenheim, Institute for soil science, plant nutrition and vegetable gardening
- CNP – Technology Water and Biosolids GmbH
- H. P. Gauff Ingenieure GmbH & Co. KG – JBG
Practice partners
- Outapi Town Council (OTC)
- Ministry of Urban and Rural Development (MURD)
- Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry (MAWF)
- University of Namibia (UNAM)
- Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST)
- Olushandja Sub Basin Management Committee (OLBMC)
Publications
Frick-Trzebitzky, Fanny/Thomas Kluge/Stefan Stegemann/Martin Zimmermann (2022): Capacity development for water reuse in in-formal partnerships in northern Namibia. Front Water 4, 906407
Zimmermann, Martin/Felix Neu (2022): Social-Ecological Impact Assessment and Success Factors of a Water Reuse System for Irrigation Purposes in Central Northern Namibia. Water 14(15), 2381
Zimmermann, Martin/Birte Boysen/Ehsan Ebrahimi/Michaela Fischer/Elmar Henzen/Johannes Hilsdorf/Jürgen Kleber/Susanne Lackner/Aydin Parsa/Karl-Ulrich Rudolph/Sebastian Schöller/Faruq Shalizi/Jochen Sinn/Jana Zinkernagel (2021): Replication Guideline for Water Reuse in Agricultural Irrigation. Upgrading wastewater pond systems to generate irrigation water for animal fodder production using the example of Outapi, Namibia. ISOE-Materialien Soziale Ökologie, 63. Frankfurt am Main: ISOE - Institut für sozial-ökologische Forschung
Mohr, Marius/Thomas Dockhorn/Jörg E. Drewes/Sybille Karwat/Susanne Lackner/Bryan Lotz/Andreas Nahrstedt/Andreas Nocker/Engelbert Schramm/Martin Zimmermann (2020): Assuring water quality along multi-barrier treatment systems for agricultural water reuse. Journal of Water Reuse and Desalination 10 (4), 332-346
Frick-Trzebitzky, Fanny/Martin Zimmermann/Thomas Kluge (2019): Capacity Development for Wastewater Management and Water Reuse in Informal Partnerships in Northern Namibia. Book of Abstracts. 12th IWA International Conference on Water Reclamation and Reuse, Berlin, 16-20 June 2019, 756-762