Water Safe Cities

Support for cities’ adaptation to water-related risks

With funding from the Grundfos Foundation, the C40 network (96 global megacities committed to fighting climate change) will develop state-of-the-art research on and solutions to urban water-related risks, helping cities adapt to the impacts of climate change and move towards a sustainable and water-resilient future.

In the current state of climate crisis, cities face significant and increasing climate risks. The majority of these are due to changes in both our global and local water cycles. Whether it is too much water in the form of floods due to sea level rises, extreme precipitation and storms, or not enough water resulting in water shortages and droughts, no city in the world is immune to these climatic changes.

“C40 is a city network at the very front of the fight against climate change, and with members counting 96 megacities all over the globe, C40 is uniquely positioned to deliver substantial impact.“

The project will see C40 develop a stronger focus on climate adaptation, which means dealing with the impact of climate change that is already here or will inevitable occur. Climate adaptation and water are intimately linked, as the impact of climate changes are first and foremost water-related. Thus, the project brings water management to the top of the urban sustainable development agenda.

So far, the Foundation has

contributed DKK 3.7 million (USD 563,000) towards Water Safe Cities I
committed DKK 11,70 million (~USD 1.6 million) for Water Safe Cities II

“The project will crucially determine cities’ ability to adapt to the impacts of climate change by tying together state-of-the-art mapping of water-related risks and the solutions that cities can adopt to alleviate these risks. “

With funding from the Grundfos Foundation, C40 will conduct novel research on risks for cities in terms of water scarcity and flooding, which will be accompanied by policy recommendations and solutions to mitigate these risks.
To ensure informed and actionable research, the project entails creation of a broad network for urban water management in C40, where expert public and private advisors can contribute, while cities engage for best-practice sharing.

Ultimately, the goal of the project is to map out the risks for cities impacted by climate change and to deliver substantial and actionable solutions which allow cities to adapt to or altogether prevent these risks, creating water-resilient cities for the future.

Woman with child walking the flooded streets of Jakarta. Photo: Kompas – Hendra A Setyawan – World Meteorological Organization

The purpose of the project is to support cities’ adaptation to water-related risks caused by climate change through novel research and development of actionable solutions. The C40 secretariat will deliver the project with input from relevant C40 cities that have experienced different water-related issues. The research will draw on expert advisors in the form of international organizations and private actors.