Nobariya, Egypt and Korba, Tunisia

The core of the technical and hydro-geological surveys of IMPROWARE has been to characterise the Nobariya (Egypt) and Korba (Tunisia) sites on their hydro-geological aspects, in order to manage properly the artificial recharge of the aquifer. A set of activities have been implemented or advanced:

· All the information collected by the Tunisian and Egyptian Partners, together with the data acquired by a large number of scientific papers, have been homogenised, geo-referenced and used to develop a GIS (Geographical Information System) for both sites. Evolution of the groundwater use, pumping rates, piezometric levels, salt water intrusion, water quality and hydro-geological setting in the two target sites are currently fruitfully shared among the Project Partners through the GIS platform.

· One pumping well and four piezometers were drilled around the Nobariya pond to characterise the area from the geological point of view and calibrate the geophysical survey carried out in the preceding months. A continuous core sample was collected from the main well. Aquifer tests were conducted using both the main well and the piezometers to determine the hydraulic parameters of the aquifer. More specifically, pumping, recovery and slug tests were conducted. Water samples were collected from the main well, the piezometers and the pond in order to be tested in the laboratory of the Egyptian National Water Resources Centre. The analysis included major anions and cations, heavy metals and basic biological parameters.

· A three-dimensional hydro-geological schematic model of the Nobariya area has been developed on the basis of the collected information and is currently being used to develop a detailed numerical groundwater model to reconstruct the evolution of the groundwater flow and quality in the area surrounding the pond due to natural forcing factors (e.g. reduced natural recharge) and anthropogenic activities (e.g. irrigation) and to develop possible scenarios of Artificial Aquifer Recharge (AAR).

In Tunisia, the geophysical survey was conducted just before the summer and revealed new and valuable information about the hydro-geological setting of the Korba area. In that same occasion, a one-day workshop was held at the premises of the Tunisian Direction Generale des Ressources en Eau (DGRE). A total of 21 professionals attended the course, which gave a detailed introduction to the TEM methods, in terms of data acquisition, processing and interpretation. A TEM data report, summarising the results of the TEM survey is currently being finalised and will be available for all IMPROWARE Partners and interested Public by the end of the Project.