In the end of April 2021, Dorien Lugt, a research associate from HKV visited the Adentan Municipality in the Sakumono basin near Accra to discuss modelling results, flood risk maps and to view the area of Sakumono, especially the most flood-prone areas.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is planning to provide training in the technology of drone-based gamma spectrometry developed at DUB-GEM later this year. A recently published article provides information on the latest progress in the project.

The BMBF Project Office "Clean Water", Shanghai participated in the panel discussion on "Future Sustainable City" on June 17, 2021 at the German Centre Shanghai. The event was organized by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) & German Centre Shanghai and dealt with challenges and solutions of urbanization, using the example of the rapidly changing megalopolis Shanghai. Four keynote speeches provided insights and food for thought in the areas of urban development, water supply, passive house and modern workspaces, which were subsequently discussed with the audience.

Hohenheim biogas yield test (HBT) and Continuously stirred tank reactor (CSTR) trials

The hot weather conditions in the Fès-Meknès region of Morocco lead to high water evaporation rates, nutrient loss from soil and the enrichment of dissolved salts on the soil surface.

As part of the DUB-GEM project, a UAV-based system is being developed for the aerial gamma spectrometric mapping of uranium mining waste sites. Test flights with a measurement system consisting of UAV and gamma spectrometer are planned for the 4th quarter of 2021 in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

The symposium "Innovative Technologies and Application on Water & Sludge Treatment & Management" took place on April 21 within the framework of the largest environmental trade fair in Asia, IE-Expo Shanghai 2021. The aim was to inform about the technologies, materials and management tools developed in the projects of the Sino-German Mega Water Cooperation and thus to support their further dissemination. The symposium was jointly organized by the BMBF project office "Clean Water", Tongji University Shanghai and the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Science (CRAES).

One goal of the DAMAST project is to investigate the sediments in the Jvari Reservoir. Before the dam construction the Enguri river had the characteristics of a mountain river. Due to the dam construction the Jvari reservoir developed and with time big and small pieces of rock gravel and sediments fill the reservoir. If this material is mobilized by earthquakes or landslides it could endanger the dam construction. Thus the goal is not only to investigate the bathymetry but also the sediment layers and the composition of the sediments.

More and more people around the world are exposed to natural hazards, especially in densely populated cities and conurbations. Effective risk management can save lives here.

Based on the on-site household survey assessment performed in February 2020 within the framework of the project ÖkoFlussPlan, Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt (THI) investigated the roadmap to reduce the space heating demand of rural Kyrgyz houses. The simulation-based results show that the proposed suggestions help to save a considerable amount of space heating demand.