IAWD recently participated in the kick-off meeting of the WATERVILL project – Innovative solutions for enhancing village water supply and addressing water scarcity in resilient rural and mountainous areas – which aims at addressing water scarcity and strengthening water resilience in South-East Europe.

Funded under the Interreg Euro-MED program and spearheaded by the Municipality of Žabljak, Montenegro, WATERVILL brings together municipalities, universities, associations, and sector partners to tackle the growing challenges faced by rural and mountainous water supply systems. These areas often rely on locally built and informal infrastructure that is vulnerable to drought, water losses, and climate change impacts, leading to unreliable service and increasing pressure on communities.

IAWD is participating in the project as an Associate Strategic Partner, contributing to its regional expertise, professional network, and knowledge-sharing capacity. Our involvement will bring about broader dissemination of results, support capacity development across the region, and strengthen connections between utilities and sector stakeholders.

From Concept to Implementation: Regional Cooperation in Action 

The foundations of WATERVILL were laid during an EU project development workshop hosted by IAWD and NALAS in Vienna in July 2024. Through a collaborative process, partners jointly shaped the initial concept that would later evolve into the successful WATERVILL proposal.

Selected among nearly 100 project applications, WATERVILL demonstrates the strength of regional cooperation in developing competitive EU-funded initiatives that respond to real needs on the ground.

 Advancing Practical Solutions for Rural Communities

The project focuses on four pilot municipalities in the Balkans, where partners will analyze existing water systems and develop sustainable solutions to improve water supply reliability, reduce water losses, and strengthen climate resilience. Academic partners, including the University of Zagreb, the University of Valencia, and the University of Western Macedonia, are contributing advanced modelling, climate adaptation strategies, and decision-support tools for municipalities.

Municipal associations, including NALAS and national partners across the region, will support implementation, training, and knowledge transfer, ensuring that solutions developed through the project can be replicated in other communities.  

During the kick-off meeting in Zagreb, partners exchanged expertise, explored project objectives, and discussed next steps for implementation. The event highlighted the importance of cross-border cooperation in addressing shared water challenges and demonstrated the strong commitment of regional stakeholders to improving water services in vulnerable areas.

Supporting Knowledge Exchange and Regional Impact

Through its participation as an Associate Strategic Partner, IAWD will contribute to disseminating project results across its network and facilitating knowledge exchange among utilities and water professionals in South-East Europe. This engagement aligns with IAWD’s mission to strengthen our members in delivering sustainable water services through cooperation, capacity development and knowledge exchange