RHE-MEDiation project

Challenge

Restoring and protecting the Mediterranean and its waters from chemical pollution is one of the most urgent challenges of our time. This consideration arises from the fact that today, at every stage from 'source to sea,' the entire water cycle is under pressure like never before. Decades of pollution and unsustainable use have severely degraded the condition of marine ecosystems.

In this framework, RHE-MEDiation will support the work of policymakers by providing advanced remediation solutions for the Mediterranean hot spots, as well as modalities and tools for monitoring and control, enabling parallel citizen empowerment in the action.

For this purpose, RHE-MEDiation sets itself three strategic goals:

- prevent chemical pollution from reaching the Mediterranean Sea and address environmental challenges with innovative solutions along the entire discharge networks, spanning urban, industrial, rural, water flow, and sea contexts.

-minimize and control by enabling prompt reactions in the Mediterranean hot spots, promoting data sharing with stakeholders at demo-sites.

-eliminate and remediate existing polluted hot spots by working at the source of major pollution to enable a return to a 'good environmental status' in the long term through improved dilution conditions.

Approach

As project coordinator, RINA bears the responsibility for overall project management, including effective communication coordination among project partners and stakeholders, ensuring the effective progress of project activities, and overseeing the technologies integration and testing, and implementing modalities to share measurements data with EMODnet platform, thus feeding the Digital Tween of the Ocean process.

The RHE-MEDiation Hub approach introduces an integrated framework that facilitates upscaling, starting from validation and demonstration at local demo-sites and extending to assessment and appraisal from local to national levels, and further on to EU level. 

Embracing an interdisciplinary approach, the project strives to advance the destress capability against chemical pollution in the Mediterranean Sea across three countries, with a strategic vision to expand its impact to encompass five additional countries in the Mediterranean basin.

Conclusion

RHE-MEDIATION aims to establish effective water pollution management by efficiently controlling individual pollutants, including the most challenging, and helping to set up appropriate propositions to regulatory standards. Through these measures, the project actively contributes to preserving the integrity of entire water ecosystems.

To reinforce its dedication to the project's mission and broader water-related initiatives, RINA has taken a significant step by becoming a member of Water Europe, the European Technology Platform for Water. This membership reflects RINA's commitment to contributing to a Water-Smart Society, where water's true value is acknowledged and realized.c

By aligning with Water Europe's vision, RINA is taking proactive steps towards achieving sustainable water management, protecting precious water resources, and promoting the well-being of both ecosystems and societies.

Project Consortium