Project number: CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/16_026/0008403
Project title: SWAMP - Responsible water management in built-up areas in relation to the surrounding landscape
Programme: MŠMT, OP VVV - Call No. 02_16_026
Project coordinator: FES CZU Prague
Project leader: Ing. Lenka Pavlíčková, Ph.D.
Contact person: Kateřina Černý Pixová
Total project budget: 88M CZK
Project partner: DEKONTA, a.s.
Abstract:
The project will expand and deepen cooperation between the Faculty of Environmental Sciences (FES) at the Czech University of Life Sciences (CZU) and the project partner, DEKONTA, a.s., and will build upon prior cooperation involving research for development and education projects. For the project currently submitted, both subjects have agreed to significantly deepen their cooperation primarily at the level of basic and industrial research in a thematic area that is presently the subject of intense discussion, namely the rational use of water in urban environments in relation to the surrounding landscape, where the main goal of the project is to design and test new approaches and measures to increase the efficiency of landscapes in resisting extreme climate phenomena and protecting residential areas. The principles of this „smart“ landscape will be based on increasing water retention and accumulation, but also on creating sophisticated irrigation and drainage systems that in dry periods will be able to effectively manage water with minimal energy demands. At the same time, the system will be supplemented with additional functions to purify runoff water by employing natural and artificial wetlands with retention, accumulation or irrigation functions. As a result, water in the landscape will be used efficiently for nearby residential communities. Another focus will be water management and optimizing indoor environments within large residential areas. The aim of the submitted project is comprehensive and also considers the suitability of all proposed measures for organisms that are integral components of the entire system which must be protected given the increasing impacts of climate change. Negative impacts on the environment will be minimized and ecological and biological functions will be supported by significantly promoting biodiversity.
Close cooperation between the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague and the DEKONTA, a.s., company will be crucial for implementing the research plan. This cooperation will enable verification and validation of new approaches to handling water in urban environments and managing adjacent land (especially agricultural land) on a society-wide scale. The academic partner will then convey these innovations to both the professional public (designers, architects, researchers, water and building authority employees, etc.) and to those using the land (water managers, farmers, landowners, etc.).
Practical feedback from the experts and practices of DEKONTA, a.s., will also enable better selection of new research topics and determine the direction of research for issues currently being addressed by the research teams of the CZU Faculty of Environmental Science in Prague. This will result in long-term, effective cooperation on pressing issues of global environmental impact and will quickly and effectively transform science and research into practical applications.
