Project kick-off workshop and follow-up events in collaboration with UNA, Costa Rica

From March 24 to April 7, 2019, a workshop trip to Costa Rica took place with the participation of Catalin Stefan, Ralf Junghanns (both TU Dresden) and the experts Serena Caucci (UNU-FLORES) and Marc Walther (TU Dresden). First, an international workshop jointly organized by TU Dresden and Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica (UNA) took place in Nicoya, Costa Rica, as a kick-off event of the GREAT project (download report: https://bit.ly/2RmskNX).

This was followed by a presentation on groundwater modelling and a short training course on the web-based INOWAS platform for students and staff of HIDROCEC-UNA. Furthermore, Catalin Stefan and Serena Caucci participated in the 5th International LATINOSAN Conference in San José, Costa Rica, from April 1 to 3, 2019. The German project team then travelled to the Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados (AyA) in San José, where Catalin Stefan and Serena Caucci met with representatives of the Research and Development Department and the International Cooperation Department. On April 5, 2019, Catalin Stefan and Serena Caucci met representatives of the research and water management units of the National Service for Groundwater, Irrigation and Drainage (in Spanish: Servicio Nacional de Aguas Subterráneas, Riego y Avenamiento - SENARA). In the very open and friendly atmosphere of the meeting, Catalin Stefan presented the scope and objectives of the ongoing cooperation project between UNA and TUD, informed about the preliminary talks with AyA and confirmed the interest in setting up a larger international groundwater working group.