Activity

Beneficiary country

• Development of a Finite Element Model (FEM) in the area to describe the behavior of the hydrological elements and over time evolution of the hydro-geological conditions and define appropriate benchmark and initial conditions of a local scale groundwater flow and transport model to investigate various scenarios of aquifer recharge
• Organisation of workshops, meetings and events for school and University students, farmers, women, industrials, ecc.  and provision of great visibility  to the the issues of Water Scarcity, Water Saving and Water Treatment on the local press to raise the awareness of the Broad Public
• Translation of a manual on treated Waste Water for agricultural reuse into English and distribution to local stakeholders 
• Start of the works for the upgrade of the WWTP in Nobariya
• Building of the Pilot Constructed Wetland inside the area of the current Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) of Nobariya 
• A three-dimensional hydro-geological schematic model of the Nobariya area has been developed and is used to develop a detailed numerical groundwater model to reconstruct the evolution of the groundwater flow and quality in the area 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).
• A Geographical Information System (GIS) platform has been developed to share among project partners information about the evolution of the groundwater use, pumping rates, piezometric levels, salt water intrusion, water quality and hydro-geological settings
• Development of local capacity building activities targeting women and water saving at the domestic level
• Awareness Raising Campaign with students of the primary schools in Nobariya on water saving
• Shooting of a short movie to present IMPROWARE’s activities in Egypt
• Translation of communication materials in Arabic and diffusion
• Meeting with NGOs (24 NGO participants) and with Local Industries (12 Industries participants) as part of the Local Stakeholders engagement strategy
• Tendering and start of the construction works for the Constructed Wetland for tertiary treatment
• Redefinition of the strategy for engaging local Stakeholders, including the involvement of a panel of governmental officials and Local Authorities of Nobariya (High Level Stakeholders)
• Identification of the location for wells to take representative soil samples of the lithological cross section and place 5 piezometers about 30 meters deep, tendering of the works and selection of an Egyptian drilling company
• Update of GIS archive
• Processing and interpretation of the geophysical data and preparation of a conceptual three-dimensional model of the study area, which forms the best basis for an elaborate groundwater model
• Geophysical survey (Transient Electro-Magnetic (TEM) and Magnetic Resonance Sounding (MRS) to obtain a detailed three dimensional hydrogeological model of the study area in order to map the precise location and extent of the aquifers and assess the extent of deterioration caused by saltwater intrusion due to the over exploitation and climate change impacts.
• Site characterization strategy for the Nobariya Wadi El-Natrun area (Egypt) taking into account technical aims and economical project constraints
• Sketch of the GIS structure for the Wadi El-Natrun area
• Investigation of the Wadi El-Natrun area in terms of capability of the geophysical methods in mapping the groundwater system specifically in the areas where the information of the groundwater system is to be improved and preparation of a plan detailing additional potential activities (according to future decisions of the Egyptian Security) for the hydrogeological characterization of aquifers in the area using such methods
• A set of technical surveys to acquire the necessary data
• Stakeholders’ workshop on water management
• Update of the Communication Strategy
• Design of the upgrading project for Nubariya Waste Water Treatment Plant and the Constructed Wetland
• Tender procedures for: a) drilling new pumping wells for hydrogeological investigations; b) realisation of the Constructed Wetland and c) upgrading of the Waste Water Treatment Plant

Nobaryia, Egypt

• Launching of the tender for the installation of baffles and for the construction of the sand filter treatment

• An evaluation of the irrigation system has been started by monitoring activities before and after the upgrade of the WWTP in Korba. Results will show the current effectiveness of the WWTP before the upgrade. A first monitoring phase has been conducted in October – a second monitoring phase might be required after upgrade completion. The comparison between results collected from the first and the second phases, will give a clear idea of the achievable water quality in Korba through these interventions and will serve as help and example for other similar WWTPs

• Workshops, meetings and events for school and University students, farmers, women, industrials, ecc. have been organised and great visibility has been given to the the issues of Water Scarcity, Water Saving and Water Treatment on the local press to raise the awareness of the Broad Public

• A monitoring plan was completed in order to verify the pollutants removal efficiency

• A desinfection treatment was further elaborated and will be tested at lab scale in order to additionally improve the quality of the maturation ponds effluent 

• Two numerical studies to evaluate the effects of a sand filtration treatment upstream the tertiary treatment and the installation of baffles in the maturation ponds as possible solutions 

• Geophysical survey to get new and valuable information about the hydro-geological setting of the Korba area and one-day workshop for professionals to give a detailed introduction to the TEM methods, in terms of data acquisition, processing and interpretation 
• A Geographical Information System (GIS) platform has been developed to share among project partners information about the evolution of the groundwater use, pumping rates, piezometric levels, salt water intrusion, water quality and hydro-geological settings
• Communication activities for students aged 10 to 17, both in Tunis and in the Korba area, with the collaboration of a local NGO tackling Education on Environmental Protection
• Launching of the communication Campaign “Any Drop of Water” with a workshop opened to all stakeholders interested with the research component of the project
• Set-up of a model able to simulate the transport, diffusion and reaction of chemical species in the natural environment, after the sand filtration treatment (which is part of the pilot activity for the upgrade of the Korba wastewater treatment plant)
• Geophysical survey using the ground TEM methodology
• Preparation of a Communication  Campaign for Tunisia entitled “ANY DROP OF WATER”
• GIS for the Korba site (Tunisia)

Korba, Tunisia

• Organisation of an International Symposium “Policies and Techniques for a Sustainable Present”
• Preparation of the e-learning programme and delivery of the first two modules (MODULE 1: Scientific and Technical Aspects of Water Resources Management & MODULE 2: Legislative framework on water resources management)
• Processing of data related to the hydrologic/hydrogeologic system description in the two study sites (Nobariya Wadi El-Natrun, Egypt and Korba,Tunisia) and set up of a GIS archive
• Capacity building activities for the local Development Authority Officers of Nobariya (Egypt) and for relevant Authorities in Korba (Tunisia) in interviewing local stakeholders to understand their needs and expectations regarding the pilot activities and reporting interview results 
• Technical mission to agree with the local Partners the strategies necessary for the acquisition of any needed further information/data 
• Missions and meetings with relevant stakeholders in Tunisia and Egypt with the aim to finalise the tender processes for the upgrade of the Korba (Tunisia) Waste Water Treatment Plant and the Nubariya (Egypt) Waste Water Treatment Plant and Constructed Wetland
• Stakeholders’ analysis in Egypt and Tunisia and organisation of two focus groups with the identified stakeholders

Egypt, Tunisia