SWIM Sustain Water MED News
Network of Demonstration Activities for Sustainable Integrated Wastewater Treatment and Reuse in the Mediterranean
The project aims at improving sustainable integrated management of non-conventional water resources, with emphasis on wastewater treatment and reuse in Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia.
The activities implemented in Jordan aim to demonstrate the potential of decentralized low cost wastewater treatment technologies and their reuse potential for big public building units in semi-urban areas in Jordan. In this framework, the following was carried out:
- A tender for the design and construction of a decentralized wastewater treatment pilot plant and reuse system in the Al Mqablan area near Amman was launched on the 8th of May 2013. The pilot plant, which will apply the Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) technology, holds an approximate inflow of 150 cubic meter/day and will serve around 2500 people. The treated wastewater will be reused to irrigate the Head Quarters of the Public Security Directorate’s garden area.
- A Stakeholder Analysis workshop was conducted on the 12th of June 2013 in Amman/Jordan with the aim to inform stakeholders about the project’s objectives, structure and steps as well as to confirm their role and potential impacts/benefits from the pilot activities. Based on this analysis, the project team will develop a stakeholder engagement roadmap for the entire duration of the project implementation. The workshop was attended by 25 persons representing governmental, academic and civil society institutions.
The following Regional activities were also carried out:
- An exchange workshop on the ‘Reuse of Treated Wastewater in Agriculture was organised on the 9th of May 2013 for approximately 30 representatives of the Jordanian and Tunisian environmental, water, agriculture and food-security sectors to explore both countries’ experiences in this important field. The workshop was held in Tunis, Tunisia under the presence of the Tunisian General Director of the National Sanitation Utility (ONAS), Mr. Khalil Attia. Both Jordan and Tunisia are facing water shortage problems, with Jordan experiencing the more acute water scarcity. Tunisian experts were impressed by the Jordanian experience on using more than 80% of produced wastewater for irrigation purposes and by other measures designed to increase the cross-sector coordination and farmer’s awareness in this field. While the usage of treated wastewater in Tunisia does not exceed 25% of total production, Tunisian experts shared valuable insights of the country’s experiences in sludge treatment and disposal.
For additional information click here
- The 2nd SWIM Sustain Water MED regional meeting was held in Tunis/Tunisia on the 12th - 14th May 2014 and attended by 25 project partners from the SWIM Sustain Water MED beneficiary countries: Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt and Jordan. During the two-day workshop, partners presented achievements and lessons learned from their pilot activities. The workshop also enabled participants to discuss means of strengthening synergies with other related projects and initiatives, the impact assessment process, the capacity development plan as well as general outreach work.
- The first SWIM Sustain Water MED regional training course on eco- sanitation was held on the 24th-28th June 2013 in Rabat/Morocco. The purpose of the training was to equip policy-makers related to sanitation issues with practical know-how of how to assess the feasibility and implementation possibilities for ECOSAN systems in their countries. The 25 participants represented water, health, environment and agricultural authorities of the project’s four beneficiary countries: Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt and Jordan.
Through lectures given by international and national experts as well as site visits to existing pilot projects, the course provided a theoretical and practical overview of:
- Ecological sanitation (ECOSAN) principles and practices
- Available ECOSAN technologies and reuse options (collection, transfer and treatment of excreta and greywater; safe reuse methods; rainwater and stormwater management, biogas production)
- Sustainability criteria, i.e. accompanying measures covering socio-cultural, financial, institutional, environmental, gender as well as hygiene and health impacts.
Given the international atmosphere of the training, participants engaged in fruitful discussions, actively exchanging experiences on legal frameworks regarding the reuse of treated wastewater and by-products as well as long-term sustainability strategies. Course material and a detailed documentation of the training will be available on the SWIM Sustain Water MED website in due time.
For more information: