Knowledge Development, Exchange & Transfer

As a technically driven expert organisation, BORDA is seeking an active role in sanitation and environment-related research. We want to:

• use our work on the ground to further understanding of scientific processes & engineered solutions;
• advance sanitation-related knowledge by doing scientifically sound research; and
• bridge the gap between academia, institutions and practitioners by disseminating our knowledge and experience from the field into the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector.

Our current R&D focuses mostly on technical, engineering and biological processes. The aim: mature decentralised sanitation solutions that become well-established technological alternatives to address the global wastewater crisis.

Our R&D team supports regional programmes by guiding regional research and lab-related efforts, enhancing scientific exchange to build up regional capacities, supporting quality control systems for our regional hubs, and contributing to scientific publications.

Especially important in our research activities are:

• using—or developing—appropriate scientific methodologies to gather empirical evidence on technical, social and economic topics;
• gaining an improved understanding of processes, such as the anaerobic digestion of faecal sludge or the variable treatment performance of wastewater under different climatic conditions;
• validating technical design assumptions with scientific results;
• verifying whether operations & maintenance (O&M) activities correlate to scientific findings; and
• collecting long-term data to evaluate the performance of different treatment modules under real social and environmental conditions.

BORDA R&D is also driving the development of new or improved decentralised sanitation solutions. Current examples are the development of an improved waste- and rainwater discharge system and an additional treatment step for the oxygenation of wastewater via Vortex technology (download factsheet). Our development activities are always driven by the direct need for improved design or the potential to introduce a new product to the market.

Clean water and safely managed sanitation for all will not be achieved only through technical solutions. It also requires structural change. For this, it is essential to enable local people to build, operate and maintain sanitation facilities, and to act as champions for sustainability and integrated planning.

In collaboration with local partners, BORDA provides training and further education for different target groups including government and municipal officials, craftsmen and unskilled workers, teachers and school children. This is achieved through BORDA’s own training centres, workshops, professional education programmes, knowledge exchange, and health & hygiene trainings.

Trainers are typically local experts from BORDA’s partner organisations who share their knowledge and experience not only in their own country, but worldwide. Exchange between different regions enhances the network and creates a global community of experts in decentralised basic services.

The global water sector is facing a fundamental transformation. We see ourselves as one of the driving forces of this change, helping to set the international agenda.

At international forums such as the World Urban Forum 9 (Kuala Lumpur), the World Water Forum 8 (Brasilia), and the International IWA Congress (Bamako), we establish and strengthen communication links with international donors and actors in the water and sanitation sector.

These forums are also about dissemination—we take the opportunity to share specifics on our approach to decentralised infrastructure facilities for securing livelihoods within a broader context of urban development.