Acacia Water

The Technical University of Kenya (TU-K) and Acacia Water both aim to improve sustainable water management in Kenya and the broader East African region. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two organisations helps to bridge academic knowledge with practical solutions and advancing groundwater development, climate-resilient agriculture, capacity building, and applied research. The MoU was signed in Nairobi by TU-K's Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr.-Ing. Benedict M. Mutua and Acacia Water's water resources expert Victor Langenberg. “Together we will be working on evidence-based approaches that are both locally relevant and globally informed,” says Victor.”We are looking forward to joining forces in this strategic partnership and tackle water issues in Kenya and the wider East African region." At Acacia Water we understand the importance of levering scientific knowledge for transformative change in water resources management. This collaboration underscores a shared commitment to this approach. #watereducation #sustainability #sdg6 #NLKE #NetherlandsinKenya  

South Sudan is experiencing the largest humanitarian crisis of our times. Since its independence in 2011, the world's youngest nation has faced ongoing conflict and instability, and is in great need of help. Floodings worsen the situation for millions of people. At Acacia Water, we help communities mitigate the risks of these floodings through a series of micro-measures, that increase their resilience. Our contribution is part of the larger humanitarian aid programme commissioned by IOM - UN Migration. Action is taken to protect South Sudanese for the floodings. As one of the few organizations Acacia Water took the critical step to visit the area to grow understanding of the needs of the local people. We visited 2 of the 5 project locations in this high-risk country. “Both professionally and personally, this visit was a valuable and insightful experience,” Marte Siebinga, hydrogeologist at Acacia Water says. “I have never been in such a remote area. With the guidance of the local IOM team and the warm welcome from the community, I was able to connect with the people and grow an understanding of their needs and preferences.” For Acacia Water, as water resource management experts, to do good work, presence in the field is crucial. Our work adds to the larger interventions by other consortium partners, including Groundwater Relief and Arup, that focus on larger infrastructural development, such as building dikes. “To provide a proposal on how to help people, we need experience on how people live and the realities on the ground”, Marte adds. The area is characterized by clay soil, a very flat landscape and extreme poverty. However, there are measures that have the potential to increase the food security and livelihood of people, and make them less dependent on food distribution. We believe that with small scale interventions, big impact can be realized. Through flood recession agriculture, for example, the flooding plain can also provide opportunities in terms of fertile soil and soil moisture. Adjustments in water management, such as catching water and raising land, can support local agricultural practices. #humanitarianaid #floodingrisks #southsudan #watermanagement

🌍 Acacia Water at the MARCLAIMED EU General Assembly in Lisbon 🌍 We are thrilled to share that Acacia Water participated in the second General Assembly of the MARCLAIMED project in Lisbon from February 11-13. 🌱 MARCLAIMED is an EU-funded project dedicated to scaling up Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) and Alternative Water Resource (AWR) solutions across Europe. The project has three demonstration sites: Barcelona (Spain), Comporta (Portugal), and Texel (Netherlands). It’s a collaborative effort that brings together a variety of partners to explore innovative water solutions. 💡 Key take aways from Lisbon: During this two-day event, we had the chance to meet with the project partners, align our goals, and discuss how we can move forward together in a more realistic and efficient way. The complexity of this EU project has its challenges, but we are making significant progress—and it’s exciting to be part of something so impactful. We were also pleased to finally meet the incredible team behind the emails and online meetings. Connecting face-to-face with partners confirmed that we’re all deeply committed to making MARCLAIMED a success. 📍 Comporta Demo Site Update: In Comporta, Portugal, the challenge of finding a destination for treated wastewater led to the innovative solution of controlled infiltration using sand and activated carbon filters. The team is now conducting experiments to validate this approach, which will pave the way for scaling up these efforts. 🚰 Other MARCLAIMED Updates: • Next year, Acacia Water will be hosting the General Assembly—exciting times ahead! 😊 • Honorable mention: Daniela Benedicto van Dalen and Joren Verbist were interviewed by the comms team—stay tuned for our Hollywood debut! 🎬 #MARCLAIMED #watersolutions #HorizonEurope #sustainablewater #watermanagement

Transferring knowledge to future generations at the 14th Earth Science Career Event. Acacia Water colleagues prepared a workshop in which students and starters with a geoscience background were invited to think about sustainable groundwater supply. And step into the role of a hydrogeologist.  Participants were asked to identify suitable sites for drilling groundwater wells in one of our project areas in Ethiopia. They made suggestions for additional fieldwork and desk research, identified stakeholders and considered how groundwater supply can be both sustainable and climate resilient. This case study reflects a core expertise of Acacia Water. Workshop hosts Harmen van den Berg and Laurens de Vries, both hydrogeologists, introduced the fundamental importance of thorough field research and the conceptualization of subsurface groundwater flow. At the stand of the business fair, co-founder and owner Arjen De Vries and geophysics consultant Perry Mooij showed examples of our projects in Europe, Africa, South Asia and the Middle East. We had many inspiring conversations and could tell the story of Acacia Water and the passion for groundwater with great enthusiasm. The event was held at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam). This institution has a special meaning for Acacia Water. It is where our organization originated as a research institute in 2003, before we continued as a social enterprise in 2008. Many thanks to all attendees and everyone who made this day possible. Stichting Aardwetenschappelijke Loopbaandag (Earth Science Career Day Foundation), congratulations on this successful event. #earthscience #watermanagement #watercareer

Acacia Water enhances accuracy and efficiency in groundwater exploration in East Africa by investing in the state-of-the-art Time Domain Electromagnetic surveying: the sTEM instrument from TEMcompany in Denmark. Our team in Addis Ababa completed an extensive field training of its usage and application. With this tool, ground layers can be explored down to 300 m depth.    “This instrument allows for a higher level of detail and precision in characterizing aquifers and exploring groundwater resources. It also generates more detailed groundwater maps compared to traditional methods,” Dawit Tsegaye, hydrogeologist at Acacia Water, explains.  Currently, we’re applying the instrument in one of our UNICEF groundwater mapping projects in Southern Ethiopia to ensure the provision of safe drinking water to children and people in need.    We will also deploy the sTEM for the exploration of both shallow and deep aquifer systems across various regions in Africa. This enhances the chance of developing productive boreholes for water supply. #watermanagement #sustainable #groundwater #watersecurity  

Hands-on Water Management: Inspiring the Next Generation of Change-Makers.   Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) is more than a governing strategy. It’s a vision for the future, balancing nature, communities, and economies. It’s a holistic approach to managing watersheds, addressing water scarcity while ensuring ecosystems thrive and socio-economic equity flourishes. But how do we measure its success? This was the challenge we tackled at Acacia Water through the Catchment 2 Tap (C2T) initiative in Kenya, bridging WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) with IWRM. Monitoring IWRM often feels like solving a puzzle; diverse projects like dam construction, irrigation, and ecosystem restoration rarely fit neatly together. Yet, we believe that monitoring should do more than assess — it should inspire collaboration, spark learning, and empower communities.   Our Solution: A Simple, Impactful Tool We developed an open-access, spreadsheet-based tool that makes IWRM accessible, actionable, and collaborative. Anchored in five core principles — stakeholder engagement, institutional development, environmental impacts, socio-economic considerations, and enabling environments — the tool simplifies complexity into actionable insights. Using a 5-point scale, stakeholders evaluate indicators, from financial readiness to environmental outcomes. Workshops then bring diverse voices together, highlighting varying perspectives and encourage shared understanding.   Results That Inspire Action Clear charts and tables reveal project performance, sparking dialogue and identifying opportunities for growth. The tool underscores a critical lesson: every action within a watershed impacts others, reminding us that true progress requires collective effort. Joren Verbist of Acacia Water: "We believe this allows young entrepreneurs and visionaries, to build on innovation, collaboration, and create sustainable futures and this together can turn water management challenges into opportunities for transformation."   Appreciations to partners KEWASNET, WWF-Kenya, Water Resources Authority (WRA), VEI. Sponsorship by World Waternet through Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Kenya. #iwrm #watermanagement #sustainability

Let’s get things started! Acacia Water's Sophie Luijendijk and Maarten Koudstaal installed the Nitrate sensors for MARCLAIMED EU project in Demonstration Site 3 – localized in a farm in Texel, the Netherlands. We will collect data on water quality for machine learning of the MARVIS tool. With this work we foster knowledge sharing and improve operation of ASR-systems (Aquifer Storage and Recovery). Ultimately, enhancing water availability, quality and sustainability for communities and ecosystems. Texel serves as a vital testing ground for the EU-funded MARCLAIMED project, which seeks to address water stress and enhance climate change resilience by integrating Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) with Alternative Water Resources (AWR). The successful installation of the sensor equipment marks a significant milestone for our project. We are excited about the potential impact this initiative holds for developing sustainable solutions to tackle water scarcity challenges.   Stay tuned for the results! #marclaimed #managedaquiferrecharge #watermanagement

To contribute to considerate and successful decisionmaking regarding drinking water supply, Acacia Water conducted an expert water resources assessment. Such an assessment provides insights into the best possible interventions. In Northern Benin (West Africa) we employed our MEL (Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning) Tool. This tool tracks and assesses Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM), Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH), and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) status and progress, fostering ongoing learning and optimization of water infrastructure projects. We appraised water systems, water usage, external influences, and developments. Strategies were offered for improving water sustainability. Collaboration is promoted with key stakeholders, to create balanced water use practices that align with good social, economic, environmental, and governance practises. Invest International, the Government of Benin, and the water utility SONEB prioritize hydrogeological, socio-economic, and environmental considerations early in this water supply project. We now look forward to supporting the implementation team as they advance water-wise development strategies in Benin. #watermanagement #watersupply #sustainability  

Vacancy alert! At Acacia Water we are on the look out for an Applied Software Engineer to join our team. In this independent position you will get a lot of space to shape your role. Help building digital tools for sustainable water management worldwide. Is this job not for you, but do you know someone who would fit in well, please forward the message! https://lnkd.in/ey3m4kb3 #vacancy #jobposting #ict #it

An example for sustainable and futureproof agricultural water management. Two Dutch farmers on the island of Texel join forces in an innovative collaboration: a fresh water cooperation. Together they are collecting tile drainage water from their farmlands in the wet season, filter it and reuse it in warmer and dry periods as irrigation water in challenging saline island conditions. They jointly operate the system and share the maintenance costs, amplifying cost-effectiveness. Although this is not the first ever fresh water cooperation, it is a very special one. It is the first fresh water cooperation both on Texel as well as for arable land. Following successful technical pilots with the ASR-system filtering nutrients and pesticides from the water, and storing the water underground, this collaboration is an example for sustainable and futureproof agricultural water management. Acacia Water supervised the entire process. Together with P2 | Regisseurs van een betere toekomst and de Coöperatie expert we drafted the agreements that meet the interests of both farmers. This fresh water cooperation is an example of innovative ways to establish sustainable water solutions. Congratulations to Mark Slot and Henk Broekman for their dedication to a shared goal and their mutual commitment in their Fresh Water Cooperation Hoofdweg. #agriculture #watermanagement #sustainability