Encouraged by the congratulations received by the Managing Authority of the ENI CBC Med Programme on their Calling for a new vision in Lebanon’s water and sanitation sector, Prof. Ahmad El Moll, Teamleader of the Lebanese University (UL) in AQUACYCLE, accepted an invitation to present further reflections on the benefits of the reuse of treated effluent in Lebanon on the occasion of an event organized by the NAWAMED project. Together with AQUACYCLE, NAWAMED is one of five projects receiving EU funding under the thematic objective B.4 Environmental Protection, Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation of the ENI CBC Med Programme.

In his presentation, entitled Treated Wastewater as Non-Conventional Water Resources (NWCR), and its potential role in Water Management in Lebanon, Prof Ahmad El Moll advocated wastewater reuse as the best strategy for integrated water management in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

He considered that due to rising water use in recent years, especially in the agricultural sector and the increasing pressure on freshwater resources due to climate change, especially in a region already facing water deficit, the use of non-conventional water resources can bring a solution for the water requirements in Lebanon’s agricultural sector.

His presentation was structured around 3 pillars:

1. The impact of climate change on the water cycle in the Mediterranean region and its implications in agriculture;
2. The use of an eco-innovative domestic wastewater treatment system that permits a safe, reliable, all-year-round and cost-effective reuse of treated effluent in agriculture and presents itself as requiring only a low-cost investment; and
3. The use of WebGIS as a decision-support tool to arrive at optimal action plans for the reuse of treated wastewater.

In his concluding remarks, Prof. Ahmad El Moll presented further recommendations targeted at stepping up the adoption of Non-Conventional Water Resources (NCWR) and at introducing Water Demand Management in Lebanon.

The presentation was made on 29 July 2021 in an event forming part of National Stakeholders’ Meetings organized the American University of Beirut in Lebanon in the NAWAMED partnership. Follow these links to download the abstract and full copy of the presentation.