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MENA NWC Update
Grant
Major Achievement
Expanding access to sanitation for unsewered communities in Morocco and Jordan
Developed and monitored pilot wastewater treatment systems in Jordan and Morocco
Efficient treatment and provision of high-quality reclaimed effluents
suitable for irrigation
Improved membrane performance, increased water recovery and decreased maintenance cost during desalination of secondary effluent
water
Identified different crop species to be irrigated safely with treated
wastewater and also identified tools to optimize treated wastewater
reuse in conjunction with other available water resources in a sustainable, monitored production system
Developed the testing units to be able to test the nano composite
membranes and the AgNP composite cellulose acetate membrane
Mitigating environmental risks of wastewater reuse for agriculture
The use of green nanoparticles as a biofouling- resistant agent in reverse osmosis desalination
Application of near-real time monitoring systems for irrigated agriculture
Developing partnerships and innovative technologies to improve
water use efficiency at river basin scale in Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia
Managed aquifer recharge using treated wastewater
Utilizing Solar Energy for Water Pumping and Brackish Water Desalination in Agriculture
Developing Diagnosis Techniques and Strategies to Reduce NonRevenue Water in the Middle East Region
Drought Monitoring for the Middle East and North Africa MENA
Developed large-scale irrigation schedules based on actual plant water
use and saved up to 40% of water resources in Agricultural production
systems.
Developed a website for knowledge sharing
Developed model to utilize treated waste water for recharging the
groundwater and preventing sea-water intrusion
Improved the development of large-scale renewable energy system
through understanding the potential impacts of developing distributed
desalination and pumping station for agriculture
Developed a streamlined “Non- Revenue Water Toolkit” to standardize the diagnostic process using International Water Association methodology and templates.
Designed an operational regional drought monitoring and early warning system
A list of the Policy, Research and Development Grants is given below, and their full reports can be accessed through the MENA NWC website:
http://menanwc.org/project-progress-reports
Directors of Member Centers Meet Donors to Discuss
the Future of MENA NWC
Continued from page 1
At the conclusion of the meeting, MENA NWC developed a well
-defined agenda of regional activities in priority areas of research,
capacity building and information and knowledge systems in the
water sector. The Center directors agreed to group their efforts
into five themes to be coordinated by selected Centers as follows:
Water Services and Sanitation, especially to poor communities: Arab
Countries Water Utilities Association (ACWUA) will coordinate with 3-4 three to four interested Centers.
Water Productivity: International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) will coordinate with
interested Centers and would ensure that the work expands
the concept beyond agriculture to include efficient use and
allocation among other sectors.
Climate Change and Drought Management: International Center
for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) will coordinate with three or
four interested Centers.
Groundwater Management: Sultan Qaboos University will coordinate with three or four Centers.
Energy/Food/Water Nexus: Arabian Gulf University will coordinate with two or three member Centers.
The Network will work with these Centers to reach out to a consortium of donors, including the World Bank and SIDA.