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WATER COOPERATION, SUSTAINABILITY AND POVERTY ERADICATIONImage: Aarhus VandImage: Aarhus VandMeasures such as separating rainwater from wastewater help to improve water hygieneTree-planting helps to protect Denmark’s groundwater reservoirsPartneringAt a regional level, Aarhus Vand has used partnering since 2006 as acooperative way of working when renovating drainpipes, and since2008 when renovating water mains. By cooperating in this way, thecompany pulls together with its partners because all have agreedon clear and common objectives. If the objectives are met, bothparties are due a cash bonus. This is cooperation based on dialogue,trust and openness, and it keeps the company constantly focused ondevelopment and improvements. Through structured knowledgesharing,the partners are focused on finding the right solution thefirst time – in terms of both technology and process.The results of this cooperative way of working speak for themselves.Aarhus Vand’s documentation shows that partnering has broughtabout a notable lowering of unit prices: 18 per cent on average ondrainpipes (after four years) and 7 per cent on average on water mains(after two years). It has led to improved quality of the work, greatersatisfaction for citizens and improved cooperation, which meansthat both Aarhus Vand’s employees and those of its partners are nowpursuing assignments that are carried out using partnering.Prepared – Enabling ChangeAt a European level, Aarhus Vand and the consultancy and researchorganization DHI head an international consortium called Prepared– Enabling Change, which consists of 35 countries and partners.The consortium is carrying out the largest collaborative environmentalproject in the European Union on the research and developmentof technology for climate adaptation in the fields of water supplyand wastewater management. Its purpose is especially to exchangeknowledge and experience at the highest international level whilestriving to halt the consequences of climate changes such as downpoursand increases in temperature. The European water sectorneeds to prepare itself for climate changes that may affect the sectorin different ways, such as flooding, droughts, changes in tempera-ture and more extreme events. The Prepared projectaddresses the practical problems and decisions that theurban water utilities have to deal with. In the project,researchers, universities and technology suppliers worktogether with urban utilities to produce an advancedstrategy to meet the future challenges for water supplyand sanitation brought about by climate change.The Prepared project originates from the WSSTPthematic working group, Sustainable WaterManagement in Urban Areas. Over a period of five years,Prepared will work with a number of urban utilities inEurope and worldwide to develop advanced strategies tomeet anticipated challenges, brought about by climatechange, in the water supply and sanitation sectors. Theproject will provide a framework that links comprehensiveresearch with development programmes in theseutilities. The Prepared vision will provide significantsynergistic opportunities that the utilities can use toimprove their preparedness for ongoing changes relatingto the provision of water supply and sanitation.Project outcomes will be used as input for the planningand rehabilitation programmes of participating cities,and the experience gained by the utilities will then beshared with other players in the European water sector.The ultimate objective is rehabilitation based onconcern for the environment and investment programmesfor water supply and sanitation systems (including stormwater).The cities and utilities involved will be preparedand resilient to the effects of climate change in the shortand long term. Implementation of the project started inFebruary 2010 and is expected to end in January 2014.Three years into the project, Prepared has completed theresearch and testing of solutions to challenges related to[ 238 ]