Middle East

The ValleyWater project organized a workshop with stakeholders from different ministries and institutions in November 2021, resulting in interesting conclusions regarding farmers and policy makers attitudes towards wastewater reuse in Northern Shuna. Additionally, two training workshops were held for farmers/owners of desalination plans. Workshops were aimed at providing best practices and technical support to optimize performance. Videos were also produced to be circulated amongst farmers to expand reach. Lastly, an experimental field next to the treatment plant in North Shuna was established. An agreement between the Jordan Valley Authority and National Agricultural Research Centre, with help from the Ministry of Projects and International Cooperation, was reached to manage and operate the research site. MSc research by two Al-Balqa University students started in February 2021. Their research will focus on larger treatment plants treating the wastewater from Irbid city. 

The project has developed videos for the farmers and plant operators, to explain the challenges and troubleshooting methods for each pre-treatment step used in brackish groundwater desalination plants in the Jordan Valley. The videos contain valuable information, including tips and advice aimed to optimize the operation of brackish groundwater desalination plants for irrigation in Jordan valley and regions. These videos were based on the experiences of the plant operator, as documented in a field survey conducted by EcoPeace Middle East and IHE Delft, and can be viewed here. 

Learn more by visiting the project website

 

The SCARCE project continued seawater quality monitoring to study physicochemical properties of seawater in the Gulf of Aqaba to determine its suitability for desalination. The project also focused on its applied research project at the Fuheis wastewater treatment plant and dissemination of results thereof through a workshop. The main question is whether interventions in the plant have led to saving energy. Data is currently not conclusive, requiring further research. A Toolbox, ‘BRACO’, for brackish groundwater treatment is in development and the pre-treatment part of the software was further developed in 2021. A training on (brackish) groundwater use for drinking water production was conducted, combined with an IHE Delft OKP training in Jordan, during which case studies from the DUPC2 supported ‘GWDemo’ project were included. Through this project, the Feifa plant received an upgrade and is currently the best performing brackish groundwater desalination plants in Jordan.

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This project intends to enhance the capacity of the water sector in Iraq through capacity development activities and research. The main beneficiaries include, but are not limited to the Ministry of Water Resources, universities and research centers. The enhanced individual and institutional capacity are expected to significantly contribute to a more integrated and sustainable water management in Iraq. Project activities mainly consist of training and research. There have been limited progress during 2020, mainly driven by COVID-19 related restrictions. After consultations with the Ministry a revised planning was formulated, more focused on online activities. In 2021 several online trainings have been conducted, and a research call was launched with first research activities starting up in 2022 led by the Ministry, the University of Basra and the University of Kurdistan Hewler.

This project deals with the reuse of treated wastewater for irrigation of selective crops, chosen according to the “project idea” of investigating plant species characterized by the prevailing local conditions (different vulnerability to chemical and microbiological contamination). The current wastewater treatment processes in Morocco, Palestine, and Tunisia, include activated sludge systems, membrane biological reactors and constructed wetland. The treated wastewater will be used for the irrigation of model plants in field-scale and/or microcosms and/or in pots, with cultivations irrigated with freshwater as controls. Chemical and microbiological contamination were monitored along complete agricultural production chain in order to evaluate the efficacy of waste water treatment plants and assess the potential impacts of reclaimed water use in Palestine and Morocco. Moreover, two case studies were conducted to study the socio-economic and gender aspects relating to water reuse for agriculture purposes in Palestine and Morocco

With evidence from recent studies that the region is witnessing the worst drought in several hundred years, water use management is a key concern for Lebanon and quantifications of water requirements is important to the agricultural sector of the country. Despite a plethora of water projects in Lebanon, water management in agriculture (the biggest water user) suffers from major problems, with a big gap existing between research and development projects and applications at the farm level.  The ultimate goal in this project is to map daily water use, daily vegetation indices, and eventually yield and water productivity in the context of a field-scale agricultural monitoring system for improved water management.  

Learn more by visiting the project website, or click here to view the storymap on Revolutionizing Smart Irrigation with AgSAT