Safe Water for All (WaterFall)

  • Duration: 2025 - 2027
  • Status: Ongoing

The main goal of the Safe Water for All project is to improve the overall safety of water supply and promote resilience in a rapidly changing world.

Project management
Vuokko Laukka
Project team
Ella Aula, Johanna Herttuainen, Mika Marttunen, Jyri Mustajoki, Aino Rekola, Jari Rintala, Sirkku Tuominen, Jyrki Viidanoja (Syke); Contact persons in partner organisations: Ilkka Miettinen (consortium leader, THL), Pekka Rossi (University of Oulu), Kirsi-Maria Halonen (University of Lapland), Teija Sederholm (National Defence University), Johannes Klein (Demos Helsinki)
Financiers
Research Council of Finland
Partners
Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), University of Oulu, University of Lapland, National Defence University, Demos Helsinki
Subject area
Water, Built environment

The aim of WaterFall is to ensure water security and sustainable water management in the long term by strengthening the resilience of the water supply sector at all societal levels. The goal is to strengthen the readiness and capabilities of water utilities to anticipate changes and make long-term decisions to secure drinking water production in a changing operating environment.

Drawing of water services, external threats, drought, ageing infrastructure, demographic changes, land use, floods and heavy rains
a) A conceptualization of challenges for water supply security and sustainable water management. b) Levels of water supply governance in Finland. © University of Oulu

The multidisciplinary project identifies and assesses challenges related to drinking water production through risk scenarios and seeks preventive measures that promote the overall safety of water services. WaterFall combines GIS and data analysis, field work, information on water epidemics and legal material to develop a comprehensive multi-criteria framework.

Syke’s responsibility in the project is to identify water services threats, utilize information system data and implement a national risk map for water services.

More information

Principal researcher Vuokko Laukka, Suomen ympäristökeskus (Syke)
firstname.lastname@syke.fi

Published 28.3.2025 / Updated 27.5.2025