Coordinators:

UR REVERSAAL: Pascal Molle - pascal.molle@inrae.fr

Active period:

2022-2024

Financing:

French Office of Biodiversity (OFB): 56.6%
INRAE: 43.4%

Partners:

INRAE-REVERSAAL

Background:

The development of sanitation infrastructure in France’s overseas territories (Martinique, Mayotte, Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Reunion Island) has been overseen by a research partnership between the OFB and INRAE’s REVERSAAL unit since 2008. The work conducted as part of this initiative has served to adapt treatment wetland to a tropical context (www.epnac.fr/Outre-Mer). New research priorities have been targeted over the 2022-2024 period for the purpose of accompanying smaller and medium-sized municipal authorities within these overseas departments in implementing urban water management strategies (both wastewater and stormwater) that are more relevant to the local context.

Objectives:

·    Develop a GIS tool to assist decision-makers with regard to centralization / decentralization issues
·    Assess the impact of a tropical context on nature based solutions (NBS)  for managing stormwater at the source: provide a state-of-the-art report on existing NBS across the various territories and compile feedback so as to draw conclusions on the local constraints induced by tropical climate
·    Initiate stormwater management NBS demonstration sites in  tropical climate,  with suitable metrology, in order to specify and validate the proposed set of adaptations.
·    Issue a state-of-the-art assessment among all overseas French territories on disposal techniques for both sludge and septage, and produce a pilot facility of sludge treatment NBS
·    Accompany and advise smaller and medium-sized municipal authorities in these territories regarding their urban water management projects.

Organization:

In concert with the partner local authorities in France’s overseas territories (Water Agencies, DEAL), this research is being conducted by theme, i.e.: GIS tools, stormwater management at the source, sludge management. The part relative to GIS is jointly performed by the TONIC and CARIBSAN projects as well.

Anticipated benefits:

·    Appropriation of the GIS tool developed by local actors
·    Improved knowledge of the impact of tropical climate on NBS for managing stormwater at the source
·    Subsequent adaptation of technologies for managing stormwater at the source in a tropical setting
·    Mobilization of local actors around the topic of managing stormwater at the source
·    A better understanding of the sludge handling sector in France’s overseas territories.