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Water harvesting and Agricultural techniques in Dry lands: an Integrated and Sustainable model in MAghreb Regions
The project organised its launching meeting in Algeria, one of the two beneficiary countries of WADIS-MAR activities, in October 2012. The event served to inform a wide range of stakeholders about the project and its planned activities towards the promotion of integrated water harvesting and artificial aquifer recharge techniques in the watersheds of Oued Biskra (Algeria) and Oum Zessar (Tunisia). The launching event in Algeria involved the participation of more than 70 guests, including not only representatives of the partner organisations but also of local and national institutions, agencies and universities involved in integrated water management in the country. A three-day technical meeting was organised as a side event, and it involved all partners and national agencies that might play a synergic role within the project.
WADIS-MAR implemented successfully a set of additional activities.
Innovative Means to Protect Water Resources in the Mediterranean Coastal Areas through Re-injection of Treated Water (IMPROWARE)
The project kick-off meeting took place on 21 February 2013 in Rome, Italy, with the active participation of all project’s partners.
Despite the late official start of SWIM-IMPROWARE, due to modifications in the contract both at the level of the composition of Consortium’s partners and of the activities to be implemented in Egypt, including their location, the project is now advancing with the site investigations, and the exchange of experiences between the European side and the two beneficiary countries, Egypt and Tunisia. Moreover, two missions have been carried out to progress with the Pilot project in the two Waste Water Treatment plants of Nubariya – Wadi Al Nutrun in Egypt, and of Korba, in Tunisia.
The detailed assessment of both sites will be concluded in summer 2013. The construction (and demolition) works - including engineering and design - for the Waste Water Treatment Plant in Nubariya – Wadi Al Nutrun, will be ready for the late springtime. In Tunisia, if political conditions allow it, activities are expected to advance faster than originally planned.
Following the re-adaptation of activities in Egypt and instead of realising the physical recharge of an aquifer, the project will now proceed with a modeling and simulation component related to the recharge of an aquifer in the area of Wadi Al Nutrun.
Moreover, activities for promoting capacity building and dissemination of the project’s results have been strengthened based on the specific request of partners. Among them are the implementation of e-Learning modules and an international Symposium to be held in Tunis at the end of the implementation’s time, with the purpose of spreading the knowledge gathered during the project activities to other Mediterranean countries and facilitate its integration in Policy and Technical Recommendations issued by these countries.
Network of Demonstration Activities for Sustainable Integrated Wastewater Treatment and Reuse in the Mediterranean
SWIM- Sustain Water MED advanced with the baseline assessment of pilot activities to be implemented in the four partner countries, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia and developed and applied a pilot activities’ guide taking into consideration social and environmental impact aspects.
Moreover, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed with the Jordanian police security directorate (PSD) in relation to the pilot activity that is going to be established at the campus of the PSD in the Mgableen area near Amman. The pilot plant is going to serve this campus with daily 260 CM treated wastewater to be reused for irrigation purposes.
Additional activities were successfully implemented until the end of 2012.
The next regional meeting of SWIM-Sustain Water MED is going to be held at the end of May 2013 in Tunis, Tunisia.
Trans-boundary NGO Master Planning of the Lower Jordan River Basin
The development of a NGO master plan for the Lower Jordan River Valley is advancing: WEDO/ FoEME successfully completed an international tender process with the contracting of Royal Haskoning DHV (RHDHV) that will lead a consortium of experts from wide ranging fieldsto maximize the adoption of a uniform methodology and facilitate integration at all levels and stages of the master plan.
Moreover, in 2012 the project has successfully completed a set of core activities.
· 3 consortium meetingsto introduce the partners, review work plans and discuss progress advancement.
· An extremely successful 'SIWI Middle East Seminar' was held in Amman, Jordan in September, 2012. It brought together approximately 80 high level officials from the region and from the international community. Representatives of all key Jordanian, Palestinian and Israeli decision making bodies, ministries etc. relevant for the rehabilitation of the Lower Jordan River were present. A panel of representatives of other SWIM Demonstration projects showcased the overall aims of the SWIM Programme and aRiver Basin Organization Panel with representatives from the Danube, Ganges, Okavanga and Rhine River basins highlighted linkages to other basins.
· 52 media articles were published over the last year highlighting FoEME's efforts to rehabilitate the Lower Jordan River. This important wide-scale exposure provides the basis for strong international pressure on national decision makers to develop and implement a plan for the rehabilitation of the Lower Jordan River.
· The project is receiving an enormous amount of visibility in numerous meetings, conferences and presentations - in academic institutions and other venues – as part of the efforts to gain the support of public officials for the rehabilitation of the Lower Jordan River.
National Forum meetings are planned for March 2013 in Jordan, Israel and Palestine, to coincide with the RHDHV public consultation process in the region. Specific sections of the regional master plan will be presented in this occasion, as they are developed.
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