Page 4
MENA NWC Update
19 Locations in Jordan being Studied as Potential
Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Sites
An analysis of 19 potential locations to build a decentralized wastewater treatment plant in Jordan is under
way. The analysis, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented
by the MENA NWC and the Royal Scientific Society,
is important to assess the technical, social, environmental, and financial opportunities and challenges to
installing packaged/decentralized wastewater treatment plants for 19 different areas.
A kickoff meeting was held in November 2015 for all
stakeholders to jointly agree on the outcome and purpose of the analysis. The meeting aimed to present
the rationale and objectives of the analysis as well as
the methodology and work plan. It also informed the
USAID team of the project to gain further support for
future cooperation and expansion of the project.
Louis Qaqish, USAID Jordan water resources and
environment office representative, highlighted the importance of this project and the urgent need for its
outputs.
Research Project Kick off Meeting at the RSS
Almoayied Assayed, Head of Water Studies Division and the
Project Manager at RSS, said the analysis will come up with
prioritized list of potential hotspots that includes priority rank,
cost estimate, location, economic rate of return and proposed
technology,” he said. The analysis is expected to be completed in three months.
New Report Provides Sneak Peek into Progress of
Research Grants
Impact can be tough to measure in research and development projects, but one of the best ways to show
impact is to share results and stories along the way.
For that reason, the MENA NWC has produced a
working paper—MENA NWC Excellence and Impact of
Research—that provides readers with a behind-thescenes glimpse into the status of the research projects
so far.
In addition to sharing preliminary results, the paper summaries
all 24 papers about the Center’s priority technical areas: water
efficiency and productivity, groundwater, non-conventional water, water supply and sanitation, and water-energy-food nexus.
A second version will be released upon the completion of the
ongoing MENA NWC-fu nded projects. The working paper aims
to share the knowledge gained through the Network’s current
research initiatives and also to act as a marketing document to
promote investment in the Network’s future activities.
MENA NWC Welcomes New Team Member
MENA NWC welcomes new staff member Suha Qoul, a
communications and knowledge exchange specialist.
Ms. Qoul came on board in November 2015 to develop
and implement a communications strategy and to identify practical tools and approaches for communications
and knowledge exchange, such as newsletters, social media
channels, and publications. She will be involved in identifying
and capturing knowledge and disseminating it widely to decision-makers, practitioners, scientists and researchers, and
end users. Ms. Qoul can be reached at
[email protected].
For more information on MENA NWC, contact:
Shawki Barghouti
Executive Director
MENA NWC
+ 1 202 363 4282
[email protected]
John Wilson
Bureau for the Middle East
USAID
+ 1 202 712 4633
[email protected]