MEDUWA - MEDicines Unwanted in WAter

MEDUWA

MEDUWA develops innovative solutions in the whole medicine chain to avoid emissions of human and veterinary pharmaceuticals and multi-resistant micro-organisms into soil, (tap) water, air and food, as much as possible at the source.   MEDUWA works within a (sub)basin and aims at a comprehensive approach. Parners from the human and veterinary medicine chain and water chain in the region are involved in the activities, and together they form a so-called Living Lab, using a regional Watershed as a pilot area. To promote higher risk perception and decision making, contamination and effects of measures are mapped using a geographic information system (GIS).

 
From October 12 2016 until April 10 2021 the INTERREG-VA MEDUWA-Vecht(e) coalition of 27 German and Dutch partners develops a complementary package of measures, including:

• a watershed information system to simulate the effect of measures on water quality under different climate scenarios;
• a tool that express the level of water contamination per treatment, animal farm, animal, kilo of meat, or liter of milk;
• herbal and algal alternatives for antibiotics;
• advanced treatment technologies for point sources (homes, farms, hospitals, nursing homes);
• animal health monitoring to avoid group medication;
• the development of a bio-medicine for animals and humans.

MEDUWA-Vecht(e) costs 8,5 Million euro is funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the regional program partners, and the participating project partners.

MEDUWA resulted from a collaboration between organizations with very different social tasks and target groups: Water Authority Vechtstromen, Almelo; The Institute for Responsible Medicine Use (IVM), Utrecht; The Integrated Assessment Society (TIAS), Osnabrück, and Stichting Huize Aarde, Enschede. The coalition has been extended to small companies and research institutes in the Netherlands and Germany to co-develop innovative solutions. See also the oficial MEDUWA.EU site.