The project aims to demonstrate and promote environmentally sustainable water management policies and practices in Egypt and Tunisia, with focus on wastewater treatment activities directed to produce water of appropriate quality levels for its successive re-injection into coastal aquifers

In the months April-June 2014 the project has implemented technical and hydrogeological surveys in the Egyptian and Tunisian demonstration sites to assess the extent of deterioration of the aquifer and implemented activities aimed at the realization of its pilot projects. Moreover, it has focused on enhancing the participatory approach and its communication efforts in both beneficiary countries.

Technical and Hydro-geological Surveys and pilot activities

Nobariya, Egypt

· In the frame of the technical surveys carried out in the target area 16 infiltration tests were executed in order to characterize the surface soils and the infiltration rates in the study area. The tests were carried out using a double ring infiltrometer. In the coming months, the results of the geophysical surveys carried out during the last term, are going to be integrated with these borehole/pump test results. This is done in view to calibrate the geophysical information with respect to the borehole information and to get a more detailed and precise groundwater model.

· The construction works for the Constructed Wetland are proceeding as planned and will be finished by the end of the summer.

Korba, Tunisia

· A geophysical survey using the ground TEM methodology has started in Korba (Tunisa) and its results will be processed and interpreted in the coming months.

· The pilot project’s works actually concern a treatment step through sand filtration. During an important meeting held in May, IMPROWARE provided a technical document about the potential impact of sand filtration on the quality of secondary effluents feeding the Waste Stabilization Pond (WSP) System located in the Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) of Korba.

· The project is currently working on the elaboration of a model able to simulate the transport, the diffusion and the reaction of chemical species in the natural environment, after the sand filtration treatment.

· The technical characteristics of baffles to be introduced for the improvement of the existing WWTP have been further defined, in order to carry out the appropriate civil engineering works.

Involvement of Local Stakeholders, Communication, Capacity Building and Dissemination

Egypt

· Implementation of the the Local Stakeholders engagement strategy:

29 April at Nobariya: Meeting with NGOs (24 NGO participants)

03 June at Nobariya: Meeting with Local Industries (12 Industries participants)

The two meetings were an occasion to present IMPROWARE to those that were not already involved in the previous steps of the project’s Participatory Communication Strategy as well as to present and discuss in detail the content of the Pilot Project that is being carried out in Nobariya, the possible role of NGOs and local industries in the design of a forthcoming Sustainable Water Integrated Management Cycle and collect suggestions for the organization of the following steps of stakeholder engagement and communication activities in the area.

· Communication material about IMPROWARE and Sustainable Water Management have been translated into Arabic, printed and diffused.

·  The Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (Egyptian Project partner) has started the shooting of a short movie presenting the IMPROWARE Project in Egypt, that will be broadcasted during future public activities in Egypt.

·  A campaign with the students of the primary schools of Nobariya has started aiming to raise awareness on the importance of saving water.

·  IMPROWARE has been presented at the Exposition organized in Al Gouna (Egypt) for the Environment Day on June 16^th.

·  Local Capacity Building Activities have been developed for the Nobariya area, targeting the women of the surroundings on techniques for water saving in the domestic day-to-day life.

Tunisia

· IMPROWARE has launched in Tunisia its Communication Campaign “ANY DROP OF WATER” with the aim to combine the effects of the Participatory Processes developed in Tunisia through an array of meetings with Institutional and local Stakeholders starting from fall 2013 to now, and the desire to illustrate the outcomes of the investigations and activities performed by the project.  The Campaign, implying activities such as the involvement of Local Stakeholders, Communication, Capacity Building and Dissemination, has started with a workshop dedicated to anyone who wishes to become familiar with the Research Component of IMPROWARE (hydrogeological and technical surveys).

· Communication activities were also carried out 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.

IMPROWARE E-learning course:

The delivery of the first two modules of the course have been carried out and are accessible on the platform elearning.improware.eu:

MODULE 1: Scientific and Technical Aspects of Water Resources Management

MODULE 2: Legislative framework on water resources management

The third module on the socio-economic impacts of phytodepuration will start in August.

Updates on IMPROWARE website

· TEM survey in Korba

· Training session on TEM survey methodologies

· IMPROWARE Awareness Campaign in Schools (Tunisia)

· IMPROWARE at the WATER DAY of the Polyvalente Licèe Pilote of L’Ariana (Tunisia)

· Photogallery of the Egyptian Environment Day in El Gouna

· IMPROWARE Awareness Campaign in Schools (Egypt)

· Photogallery on a Convention on Water Saving organised in Hammamet in the frame of IMPROWAREs Communication Campaign for students

· Updates on IMPROWARE on the news