Researchers are working on clean water for cities of the future

(CONNECT) Researchers from the Dübendorf-based aquatic research institute Eawag and the School of Life Sciences at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW) are involved in the EU project UrbanM20. According to a press release, the project, which is led by the Danish Technical University of Copenhagen (DTU), is dedicated to improving the monitoring and management of urban water management.

The aim of the international project is to improve the quality of urban water in the cities of the future. Water use, consumption and wastewater are to be monitored and stored in data exchange systems. Digital twins will be used to develop flexible programmes that improve water quality management.

The project involves 20 partners from ten countries. From Switzerland, for example, the City of Zurich's Department of Waste Management and Recycling (ERZ) and the Swiss Association of Wastewater and Water Protection Experts (VSA) are on board. The participants want to develop intelligent sensors that use artificial intelligence to improve the monitoring of water quality. The digital twins are designed to help identify pollution problems and plan solutions. "We also want to support the authorities with practical guidelines to better monitor and maintain their existing systems," project coordinator Luca Vezzaro from the DTU is quoted as saying in the press release.

The UrbanM20 project is funded by the EU via the Horizon Europe programme with 5 million euros. In addition, the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) is supporting the project with 1 million euros. ce/ww