MIRRA signed on with The University of Manchester to launch a new project, “FutureDAMS: Future Design and Assessment of Water –Energy – Food- Environment Mega Systems”, in April 2019.  This project focuses on how to transform new dams and systems of new and existing dams. Dams are assessed, selected, designed, and operated to provide water, food, and energy nexus security for all.

The FutureDAMS project will deepen understanding of how nexus system interventions of new dams and their operation cascade through socio-economic, engineered, ecological and political systems, and using this knowledge to help stakeholders develop and negotiate solutions that are economically, socially, and environmentally beneficial. 

The development of water resources in the Middle East in general could contribute to the region’s sustainable economic development. The number of available water and energy systems interventions is high, and so it is hard to reach a consensus on siting, size, sequencing, and operating of new infrastructure. Key gaps include institutional, technical, and training. This project will address mostly technical and training needs, aiming to design an approach and a toolset for negotiated infrastructure system expansion in a transnational resource system setting.

The project aims to achieve the following objectives:

1- To deepen the understanding of how nexus system interventions (new dams, or systems of dams, and their operation) cascade through socio-economic, engineered, ecological and political systems, and use this knowledge to help stakeholders develop and negotiate solutions that are economically, socially, and environmentally beneficial.

2- To enhance the technical and institutional capacity of partner and non-partner researchers and policy-makers to ensure that dam decision-making leads to economically, socially, and environmentally desirable outcomes.

3- To create a cross-disciplinary network of researchers and policy-influencers and interdisciplinary tools for dam decision-making globally, which will continue to operate after program completion and that can transfer learning to the ‘next generation of nexus system planners worldwide.

For more information please check out the project website:

http://www.futuredams.org/about-us/

Click here for First Progress Report