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NEWS FLASH #7 -  April-June 2014

 
 THE SWIM PROGRAMME

Sustainable Water Integrated Management (SWIM) aims to contribute to the extensive dissemination and effective implementation of sustainable water management policies and practices in the Southern Mediterranean Region in the context of increasing water scarcity, combined pressures on water resources from a wide range of users, desertification processes and in connection with climate change.

SWIM Partner Countries are: Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Syria and Tunisia.

SWIM consists of two major Components, which are inter-related and complement each other:

  •  A Support Mechanism
  •  Five Demonstration Projects

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NEWS FROM THE SWIM-SUPPORT MECHANISM


Improving water management by users in Jordan and Tunisia: training on a Monitoring & Evaluation system developed by SWIM-SM

Two trainings targeted the users involved in the pilot implementation of a regional system for the monitoring and evaluation of the Participatory Irrigation Management / Irrigation Management Process (PIM/IMT) in Jordan (1-5 June 2014) and Tunisia (23-27 June 2014)

The trainings aimed to introduce the national, regional and local partners involved in the pilot implementation of the regional Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) system in the selected countries, Jordan and Tunisia, to the tool (computer application) that was developed by SWIM-SM to monitor and evaluate the PIM/IMT process.

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Assessment of the cost of water resources degradation of the Seybouse River Basin in Algeria

An assessment recently released by the EU funded project SWIM-Support Mechanism (SWIM-SM) identifies the conditions under which specific investments aimed to reduce the degradation of the Seybouse River Basin in Algeria become effective and profitable in the long-term.

Based on 2012 data, the costs of environmental degradation of the Seybouse River Basin is estimated to be equivalent on average to 0.2% of Algeria’s (non-oil and gas) National GDP, and is particularly attributable to water resources degradation (73.1% of total costs in the Seybouse River Basin) including, in order of importance, water quantity, water-borne diseases and water quality sub-categories.

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Strengthening the capacity of the South Mediterranean countries to assess the cost of water resources degradation and prioritize remediation measures at the basin level (16-18 June, Tunis-Tunisia and 23-25 June Athens-Greece)

Two capacity building workshops – one respectively for participants from the Maghreb and the Mashrek regions - on environmental economic concepts and valuation techniques to cost water resources degradation were organized in Tunisia and Athens in June 2014. 41 environment and water specialists from relevant Ministries, River Basin Agencies, Universities, Research Centres and NGOs of 8 South Mediterranean countries (Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine and Tunisia)  participated in the training.

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Collection and wide dissemination of “solutions” for sustainable integrated water management in the South Mediterranean

The call for success stories presenting local solutions for sustainable water resources management that have replicability potential at regional scale has been closed on 30 April 2014. The SWIM-SM Team is currently collecting additional stories with the support of the National Focal Points.  

Solutions fall under the following topics: non-conventional water resources, water governance, economic valuation of water degradation and remediation actions and water financing, and no-regret action for adaptation to climate change.  

The preliminary ideas collected through these processes will be submitted for evaluation by a panel of experts.


Mitigating the cumulative environmental impacts of desalination plants in the Mediterranean

An Expert group Meeting was organized in Brussels on 23-24 June 2014 with the aim to discuss and formulate voluntary policy options and measures for sustainable seawater desalination in the Mediterranean Region. 30 experts from 9 South Mediterranean countries (Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine and Tunisia) and from International relevant organizations participated actively in the meeting and reviewed a draft policy brief to be finalized and published soon.

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NEWS FROM THE SWIM DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS


SWIM-ACLIMAS project News - Adaptation to Climate Change of the Mediterranean Agricultural Systems

The project is implemented in Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia and promotes the adaptation of Mediterranean agricultural systems to climate change through a combination of modern and traditional water management and conservation techniques and new and indigenous varieties of cereals and legumes resistant to difficult climatic conditions.

ACLIMAS activities in the months of April-June 2014 mostly focused on organizing field days, training workshops and technical visits in the beneficiary countries. New materials and leaflets have been also uploaded on the project’s website. 

Click here to read more about the project’s news and achievements


SWIM All Across the Jordan News – Transboundary NGO Master Planning of the Lower Jordan River Basin

The project is implemented in Israel, Jordan and Palestine with the aim to publish the first ever trans-boundary integrated master plan for the Lower Jordan River Basin while advancing political will for adopting a regional approach to IWRM among key Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian figures.

In the past months final amendments were made to the draft Baseline Report describing the current situation in the Lower Jordan River Basin and Valley, based on the feedback received from the relevant stakeholders in the three countries involved. The identification and discussion of specific interventions that meet future land and water requirements in the area also started. 

Click here to read more about the project’s news and achievements


SWIM IMPROWARE News - Innovative Means to Protect Water Resources in the Mediterranean Coastal Areas through Re-injection of Treated Water

The project aims to demonstrate and promote environmentally sustainable water management policies and practices in Egypt and Tunisia, with focus on wastewater treatment activities directed to produce water of appropriate quality levels for its successive re-injection into coastal aquifers

In the months April-June 2014 the project has implemented technical and hydrogeological surveys in the Egyptian and Tunisian demonstration sites to assess the extent of deterioration of the aquifer and implemented activities aimed at the realization of its pilot projects. Moreover, it has focused on enhancing the participatory approach and its communication efforts in both beneficiary countries.

Click here to read more about the project’s news and achievements


SWIM Sustain Water MED News - Network of Demonstration Activities for Sustainable Integrated  Wastewater Treatment and Reuse in the Mediterranean

The project aims at improving sustainable integrated management of non-conventional water resources, with emphasis on wastewater treatment and reuse in Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia.

In the months April-June 2014 Sustain Water MED finalised the construction of the wastewater treatment plant in Jordan, which was inaugurated at the end of June, and prepared and launched tenders for additional pilot activities in Egypt and Tunisia. Moreover, it developed documents supporting a comprehensive sanitation and flood management strategy in Morocco in support to governmental related undertakings and organized several training courses in Tunisia. The project also organized a regional training course on water quality management and Environment Protection.

Click here to read more about the project’s news and achievements


SWIM- WADIS-MAR News - Water harvesting and Agricultural techniques in Dry lands: an Integrated and Sustainable model in MAghreb Regions

The project aims at contributing to an integrated, sustainable and participative water harvesting and agriculture management in the watersheds of Oued Biskra in Algeria and Oum Zessar in Tunisia characterized by the overexploitation of groundwater, with a view to promote adaptation to climate change conditions and particularly droughts.

In the months April-June 2014 WADIS-MAR finalized in Algeria the agronomic intervention plan and the design of the artificial aquifer recharge interventions in both Algeria and Tunisia. Campaigns were conducted in Tunisia to make a geophysical survey, a hydro-geological survey and a ground truth campaign for land cover and land use changes. The project also organized technical training courses for local stakeholders and focused on visibility activities in the framework of international events.

Click here to read more about the project’s news and achievements

 

 

This News Flash is produced by the SWIM-Support Mechanism with the support of the European Union (EU).

Its content is the sole responsibility of the Project’s Consultant and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the EU.

 
 
 
 
   
 
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