Deltalife 13

7 Mainstreaming natural river management River basins throughout Asia are faced with population growth, and the associated rapid economic and infrastructure development. Ultimately, all this activity degrades the dynamics and natural functions in the basins, with negative effects on local people and rising costs because of the non-sustainable investments in river management. But other approaches are possible. The natural assets of the river can be har- nessed and used in combination with a carefully planned 'hard' infra- structure. Arguments for this approach are contained in 'Guidelines for Mainstreaming Natural River Management', which was written in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Deltares drafted these guidelines in consultations with our partners. The report presents a step-by-step methodological approach to channel water sector invest- ments towards sustainable, environment-friendly, optimal and socially inclusive interventions. ADB officers can draw on the report to avoid interventions with a negative impact upstream and downstream. WarmingUP for a sustainable heat network In order to reduce carbon emissions and achieve the climate targets, the Netherlands is planning to stop the use of natural gas in the built environment. One of the solutions: collective, sustainable heat net- works. The challenge here is to install affordable, reliable and sus- tainable heating in both new and existing buildings. And to get this done in the foreseeable future. To achieve these goals, Deltares has joined a consortium of more than forty parties from the entire heating sector - from suppliers to users and from source to delivery - that are joining forces in the WarmingUP programme. The central focus is on the development of applicable knowledge and practical instru- ments. The consortium is looking at where and at what price heat can be obtained with aquathermal or geothermal energy systems. We are also delivering the knowledge required for the construction of large-scale thermal storage sys- tems and their integration in heat networks. Upscaling, cost reduc- tion and sustainability in collective heating systems require a new way of thinking about heat supplies. An important component of the three- year WarmingUp programme is the establishment of public support through new forms of cooperation and financing, as well as new wor- king methods. For more information: gerda.lenselink@deltares.nl