The Green Roads for Water approach by MetaMeta develops rural roads that have secure transport functions combined with beneficial water management and climate resilience. The opportunities are abundant: road bodies and road crossing can be used to systematically harvest water; road bodies and culverts can control water levels in wetlands and agricultural areas. Integrating road and water development can contribute to flood protection, sand harvesting, regreening, nature protection and sand dune control.

MetaMeta is aiming to change the way roads and roadsides are developed and maintained worldwide by incorporating water management, climate change adaptation and environmental protection into the design and maintenance of roads. There is a wide variety of available techniques to harvest road run-off depending on the geography as wells as on the local needs for water. These techniques can be applied on existing roads but also can be incorporated in the design of new roads. They are working in more than 10 countries to introduce this practice under the Green Roads for Water Learning Alliance.