Water use across major cities in Europe and globally could be improved thanks to a De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) led project to improve sustainability.
Leicester is one of four pilot cities showcased in a new digital social platform that facilitates the expansion and governance of water networks.
Other cities can use the platform to access best practices for improving water sustainability and share their own methods and knowledge.
The Horizon 2020 funded ‘Power Project’ is live and encouraging citizens and professionals to better understand and manage water related issues in their locality. POWER is encouraging people to sign up and provide feedback on the digital platform.
Leicester is a case study for how cities can deal with flooding and extreme weather, while the other featured cities are Milton Keynes, Jerusalem and Sabadell.
Professor Paul Fleming, Director of Sustainable Development at DMU, is leading the project and sees it as a significant step forward in the way cities manage water.
He said: “This is a unique piece of work which changes the way cities can manage issues of extreme weather, water consumption, water quality and water conservation.
“The platform brings water governance into the digital age and facilitates much easier sharing of knowledge, opinion and best practices.
“Although this has the most relevance for politicians and water professionals, everyone has a role to play and it is a tool that can be used by anyone. We would encourage as many people as possible to sign up and start using the platform.”
DMU has worked closely on the project with experts from across Europe, including Leicester City Council, and Prof Fleming believes the platform will provide an immediate benefit to the people of Leicester.
He added: “This is an example of a user led multi-disciplinary project involving experts from throughout Europe as well as two research groups at DMU (the Institute of Energy and Sustainable Development and the Water Software Systems Research Group). It is also great to continue DMU’s successful partnership with Leicester City Council on research projects that will be of benefit to people living and working in Leicester.”
Posted on Friday 20 October 2017