SOLUCIR explores decentralised solutions to Berlin’s growing water pressures

Berlin’s rapid population growth and industrial development are placing increasing pressure on the city’s water resources. Longer drought periods, changing rainfall patterns and rising demand are intensifying water stress, demonstrating the need for water-management systems that can adapt to increasingly uncertain conditions.

This challenge becomes particularly significant as Berlin has limited natural surface-water flows. This has created a semi-closed urban water cycle in which water supply and wastewater discharge are closely interconnected. Consequently, changes in water availability or quality can affect different parts of the system and place additional pressure on rivers, groundwater and ecosystems.

SOLUCIR is responding to this challenge by examining how circular and decentralised water-management solutions could complement Berlin’s existing centralised infrastructure. These systems could treat and reuse water closer to where it is generated. Additionally, it could reduce pressure on freshwater resources while helping growing urban areas adapt more flexibly.

The project will assess the economic and environmental impacts of centralised and decentralised approaches, alongside the quality standards and potential applications for reused water. This will help determine where decentralised systems could provide environmental benefits and how they can be integrated without creating additional risks.

Nature-based solutions also play a key role in the project, as these could support local water treatment or help reinforce natural water flows. By retaining and treating water locally, such measures could reduce pressure on conventional infrastructure, increase water availability during dry periods and limit the discharge of pollutants into aquatic environments.

Through the Berlin demo site, SOLUCIR will explore how circular water management can respond to population growth and climate change while protecting the natural systems on which the city depends. By comparing decentralised and centralised strategies and examining their economic, environmental and societal implications, the project can help establish a more resilient approach to managing water in rapidly growing cities.