The Mediterranean library of knowledge
Explore the ENI CBC Med Programme's library of deliverables: a comprehensive digital repository of diverse resources tailored for the Mediterranean region. Discover in-depth studies, innovative strategies, and practical tools spanning tools addressing key environmental, economic, and social issues. The library is your go-to source to find valuable knowledge to inspire new collaborative projects driving fair, sustainable and inclusive development across the Mediterranean.
AQUACYCLE Charter on Wastewater Reuse
The goal of the Charter is to promote the sustainable use of non-conventional water resources and to support the transfer and sharing of AQUACYCLE research results at the operational level. In doing so, the Charter aspires to create a shared vision for the establishment of a transboundary Mediterranean Wastewater Community.
Rather than bringing the voices of the research teams who designed, tested, and validated the project’s low-cost, eco-innovative wastewater treatment system, abbreviated to the APOC system in the Charter. The Charter foremost brings the voices of farmers and local communities from the three geographic locations where a pilot demonstration unit of the APOC system has been installed.
To start with, through this Charter, farmers alert to a dire future to sustain their livelihoods in the face of ever dwindling freshwater supplies. Next, local community representatives share their views on the reuse of treated wastewater and their expectations of the APOC system. The research in AQUACYCLE also provided an opportunity to demonstrate that it is entirely possible for local communities to take an active role in the drawing up of action plans for the reuse of treated wastewater. This is followed by the appraisal of farmers and local communities who participated in Participatory GIS (PGIS) Practice sessions that were organized in Lebanon and in Tunisia for this purpose. Further chapters bring the views of policy- and decision-making authorities in the water, agricultural, sanitation and health-related sectors on the functionality of an online Irrigation Support Tool. The latter guides on the generation of optimal action plans for the reuse of treated wastewater, based on economic, environmental and social criteria of the user’s choice. It also proved opportune to dedicate a chapter to the level of satisfaction expressed by farmers around the Mediterranean with the current measures put in place by public authorities to combat land and water degradation. Last but not least, the Charter brings the viewpoints expressed by experts and trend-setters in Spain on the reuse of treated wastewater and on the prospects for the APOC technology to meet the recently introduced EU Regulation on the Minimum Requirements for Water Reuse.
Policy recommendations on non-conventional water from the Arab Water Forum
The document reports key messages and recommendations coming from the panel session held in Dubai, in the framework of the Arab Water Forum (21 September 2021), and organized by the Desertification Research Centre at the University of Sassari (NRD-UNISS), the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Bari (CIHEAM BARI) and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI). The panel session aimed at tackling water insecurity in the Mediterranean region by fostering shared knowledge and experiences on Non-conventional Water governance through the promotion of innovative technologies and reuse strategies in agriculture.
Compendium and recommendation papers
The promotion of non-conventional water in agriculture has been at the core of the MENAWARA project and, in particular, of the roundtables organized in Jordan, Palestine, Tunisia and Spain. The events were organized to become a meeting point for farmers, farmers' association, technicians, managers, academia, local communities and local/national authorities to debate the use of reclaimed water in 21st century agriculture. It has been an opportunity to reflect jointly on the situation of water reuse in agriculture and its legal and regulatory conditions; issues that are currently very topical. The documents incorporates principles, approaches and strategies highlighted by the relevant stakeholders and decision makers to contribute to face the challenge of water scarcity by using the reclaimed water as a complementary source to surface water.
Mediterranean Policy Document
This document focuses on the requirements for the development of policy frameworks for the application of Non-Conventional Water Resources (NCWR) solutions, promoting the outcomes of stakeholder discussions undertaken in the countries participating in the NAWAMED Project – Italy, Malta, Tunisia, Lebanon and Jordan, with a view of presenting a regional (Mediterranean) policy vision for the promotion of NCWR solutions in the region.