The City of Sciences in Tunis in partnership with the association La Recherche en Action (REACT), the Center for Research and Technologies of Water (CERTE) and the French Institute of Research for Development (IRD), celebrated on Saturday March 19, 2022 the World Water Day. 

The World Water Day is an annual United Nations Observance, started in 1993, that celebrates water and raises awareness of the 2 billion people currently living without access to safe water. A core focus of World Water Day is to inspire action towards Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030.

According to the topic of this year, “GROUNDWATER – MAKING THE INVISIBLE VISIBLE”, MEDWAYCAP CERTE team organized an event on "Unconventional water, a sustainable voice towards water security in Mediterranean Countries" which is organized jointly with NAWAMED team. This event, followed a screening of a film with debate entitled "Time to observe" produced by the Mediterranean Observatory for the Rural Environment and Water (OMERE) and presented by the IRD. The program generated a lot of interest and discussion with the audience, young and old. Competitive games and quizzes on the theme of water were organized and gifts were offered to motivate the young participants.

The objective was to make the general public aware of the importance and place of water in our societies and how to protect it and guarantee its sustainability. The program was rich and varied and was spread over the whole day (agenda in french language here).

MEDWAYCAP, being a cross-border project, which aims to adopt the reuse and management of unconventional water in the Mediterranean region through the promotion of sustainable strategies and innovative technologies.
This project, which essentially aims to integrate non-conventional water resources NCWR into the water governance system and promote investment and business opportunities within the framework of the circular economy.

The presence of the MEDWAYCAP project at the celebration of World Water Day was really an opportunity to present its objectives and its activities to the multidisciplinary public present. The project manager Safouen ALAYET, from CERTE, highlighted the interactive platform, flagship activity related to inventory database of innovative solutions and best practices for capitalizing on and transferring knowledge on the use of non-conventional water. This activity was considered innovative for those present and with clear added value at Mediterranean level.

The participation of the MEDWAYCAP project in the celebration of the World Water Day was highly appreciated by everyone. A promising project that presents alternatives and solutions to the water crisis in Tunisia and around the Mediterranean regions.