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EMWIS Flash n°84 - October 2010
| Released | 25/10/2010 |
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EMWIS Flash - October 2010 |
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In this issue N°84
(www.emwis.net/thematicdirs/eflash/flash84)
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HEADLINE
1- Med Joint Process: Water quality monitoring working group meeting, Madrid,
10th November 2010
IN BRIEF
2- Supporting Mediterranean countries in implementing National water information
systems: Jordan case
3- ENPI CBCMED underlines priorities for future cooperation perspectives in the
Mediterranean
4- Mediterranean leaders launched a regional initiative to fight climate change
on 22 october
5- Jordan Ministry of Water, International Water Association, USAID join hands
to hold Efficient 2011 in Dead Sea
6- European Parliament passes historic resolution in support of regional
rehabilitation of the Lower Jordan River
7- World Bank and IDB launch $1bn development fund for MENA region
8- Hungary’s Toxic Spill Points to Vulnerability of Water Resources
9- France: BRGM and ONEMA sign a framework agreement for cooperation in the
water sector
10- France: A platform for R&D for sustainable water management in the
construction sector
11- Spain: Government admits that desalination is costly and proposes water
transfer alternatives
12- Tunisia: World Bank loan of 260.5 millions USD for the sectors of water,
environment and employment
13- Israel: a company plans to use drones to read water meters
14- Egypt: Water metering contract goes to Sensus
15- Egypt and Bahrain seek joint desalination projects
16- Palestine: 4 million Euros for Gaza Wastewater Treatment Plant
17- Syria: Microfinance to combat drought
18- UAE: How emergency aquifers would work
19- SIWI welcomed UN decision on Human Right to Safe Drinking Water and
Sanitation
20- Improving Governance & Financing at the River Basin Level
21- Study: World faces growing threat of severe drought
22- Better global water management for better environmental and economic
benefits
23- ESA's TalkingFields guides European farmers from space
24- Sentinel-3 : A new pair of glasses to view Earth
25- Water consumption of green energy production should be considered
NOMINATIONS and VACANCIES
PUBLICATIONS
CALL FOR TENDERS
and PROPOSALS
CALL FOR PAPERS
TRAINING
EVENTS
PROJECTS
BRIEF EMWIS SITE MAP
CONTACT US / COMMENTS
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HEADLINE
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1- The next meeting of the water quality monitoring working group of the Joint Process between the EU Water Framework Directive and Med-EUWI will take place in Madrid on 10th November 2010 at the CEDEX premises. This meeting will focus on finalising the report on the status of water quality monitoring networks and programmes in Southern Mediterranean countries based on the survey carried out in 2009 and the identification of pilot areas to demonstrate and validate the working-group recommendations in real-life. The findings will be presented at the next EMWIS Steering Committee meeting to take place in Firenze (Italy) on 3rd December. Further information on EMWIS website.
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IN BRIEF (Full
news)
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2- After presentation of the findings of the EMWIS pilot activity on data harmonization for building a National Water Information System (NWIS) in Jordan, considering the water accounting approach of the United Nations (SEEAW); the Jordanian Minister of Water and Irrigation decided to call for the support of the government to ensure a wide cooperation with the key Ministries concerned by the development of the system for the exchange of any kind of water-related information on governmental level. This should not only support the data demand for various policy questions (e.g. related to water management, environment, economics, planning etc.), but also maximize the use of synergies and reduce data management costs on governmental level in the long run. It is expected that the NWIS development in Jordan will benefit from the experience with SEIS (Shared Environmental Information System) in Europe and the foreseen extension to non-EU Mediterranean Countries. Workshops on the development of NWIS with national stakeholders are also planned in Egypt (27 October), Palestine (22 November) and in Syria (21 December). Further information on EMWIS website.
3- The Cross-border cooperation in the Mediterranean (CBCMED) Joint Managing Authority (JMA) has underlined priorities for future cooperation in the Mediterranean during a round table held as part of the Territorial Cooperation Med Programme event which took place on 23 September in Thessaloniki. The JMA tackled three key points that could be discussed in the framework of the coming mid-term review of the ENPI CBC programmes: - Balanced participation between EU Member States and Partner Countries. - The topic of rules and procedures ensuring good governance of the programmes. - The increase in financial resources. Ensuring balanced participation of the Partner Countries is one of the main challenges of cross-border cooperation. Based on a preliminary analysis of the first call for standard projects, applicants from EU countries seem more active in terms of proposals submitted. Governance could also be addressed in the mid-term review. The full recognition of the key role of the governing bodies - Monitoring Committee and Managing Authority, - within the set of rules and procedures which regulates the ENPI CBC would probably foster more efficiency in the decentralized management of the Programme. The encouraging results of the first call (598 proposals submitted) and high-quality of the projects speak in favour of an increase of the financial resources available for cross-border cooperation. As a conclusion, starting from a capitalization of the experience of the ENPI CBC stakeholders and the coordination with other ongoing initiatives, in particular the Med Programme, cross-border processes can support the territorial dimension of cooperation as well as the definition of an integrated multilevel strategy in the Mediterranean. The ‘ENPI CBC Mediterranean Sea Basin Programme 2007/2013’ is a multilateral cross-border cooperation programme co-financed by the EU under the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument. Further information on EMWIS website.
4- Prime Ministers, Ministers, and policymakers from around the Mediterranean met October 22, 2010 in Athens to take joint action against the growing risks to the region posed by climate change. At an all-day event in the Astir Palace hotel (Vouliagmeni), regional leaders signed a political declaration and officially launch the Mediterranean Climate Change Initiative (MCCI). This initiative, proposed by Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou, aims to strengthen environmental collaboration between the governments of Mediterranean countries and to promote and facilitate investment in low carbon development projects throughout the region. The Mediterranean has been identified by the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) as being especially vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Many of these impacts (increased risk of drought, longer fire season, reduction in crop productivity) are common across the region, yet few Mediterranean countries have robust adaptation plans. Through the MCCI, regional leaders hope that a unified Mediterranean voice can advance climate change discussions on a global level, protect the fragile Mediterranean ecosystem, and promote a ‘green economic boost’ through the sharing of best practices in low carbon development. Further information on EMWIS website.
5- The Ministry of Water and Irrigation in Jordan, the International Water Association (IWA) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) invite all interested parties to submit abstracts of papers to and participate in the sixth IWA Specialist Conference on Efficient Use and Management of Water (Efficient 2011). The conference will be held under the patronage of His Majesty King Abdullah II Bin Al Hussein under the theme, 'Water Demand Management: Challenges and Opportunities', from the 29th of March to the 2nd of April 2011 at the Movenpick Hotel in the Dead Sea. The IWA Efficient 2011 Conference targets experts and professionals involved in all aspects of water demand management and water conservation programs. The agenda will cover a wide range of topics related to policies and legislation; planning and implementation; best management practices in water use efficiency and water demand management; non revenue water, leakage and pressure management; alternative water supplies; the water and energy nexus; climate change and drought adaptation; efficiency in the agriculture sector; and public involvement. The conference will also host an exhibition to showcase the latest water- and energy-efficient products, services and technologies. Further information on EMWIS website.
6- The European Parliament passed an historic resolution on September 9th, bringing attention to the critical state of the Lower Jordan River and calling upon the governments of Israel, Jordan and Palestine to work together to rehabilitate the Jordan River. Initiated by leaders of the Group of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) with strong support from all major parties in the EU Parliament, this resolution marks the first time that the EU Parliament has directly called upon leaders in the region to address the state of the Jordan River. The resolution highlights that the Jordan River is a cultural landscape of universal significance in the Middle East and beyond which is today severely threatened by the diversion of 98% of its fresh water resources and a lack of regional management. Further information on EMWIS website.
7- The World Bank is to set up a regional $1bn development fund in cooperation with the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) to close the infrastructure gap in the Middle East and North Africa region. This regional initiative will unlock new flows of private sector investment to help countries like Egypt, Morocco, Jordan or Tunisia eager to push ahead with critical infrastructure projects that will drive competitiveness and boost much needed job creation. The Middle East and North Africa region needs to invest between $75 billion and $100 billion a year to sustain the growth rates that have been achieved in recent years and to boost economic competitiveness. It added that private sector investment in infrastructure in MENA countries is limited, especially outside the Gulf countries despite huge unmet demand for infrastructure services. Both the Islamic Development Bank and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, will work together to explore ways of providing project finance in both conventional and Shariah-compliant products, which would seek to attract private investors, especially from Gulf countries. Further information on EMWIS website.
8- The Central and Eastern Europe region of the Global Water Partnership (GWP CEE) has called for pollution prevention and the regular inspection of polluter operations in light of the toxic sludge disaster in Hungary. GWP Hungary pledged to participate in the technical evaluation process and to provide a technical assistance facility for the prevention of similar catastrophes. In addition, the GWP Hungary network and individual members are supporting those affected by the spill. Within days of the disaster, GWP CEE met in Prague, Czech Republic, for its previously scheduled Council Meeting. Tributaries of the Danube River have been contaminated, but it is too soon to know whether Europe’s second longest river will be affected. Cleaning up of the pollution will take years and cost billions of Hungarian forint. In a separate statement, GWP Hungary said, “At this point, dealing with the catastrophe is the most important thing,” noting that several mitigation measures taken by the Hungarian authorities has significantly reduced the threat to the environment. Further information on EMWIS website.
9- Last October 5th, 2010, Patrick Lavarde, CEO of ONEMA (French national agency for water and aquatic environments) and Jean-François Rocchi, president of BRGM (Bureau of Geological and Mining Research) have signed a framework agreement for cooperation in the field of sustainable management of water resources. By formalizing three years of successful partnership, both institutions agree that fostering cooperation will be targeted through agreements for an annual income of around 8 million Euros. These will allow the implementation of actions contributing to the improvement of expertise, knowledge, and implementation of water information system (EIS), in terms of groundwater and coastal waters management. Further information on EMWIS website.
10- The first major technical research, innovation & scientific platform for the sustainable water management in the construction sector, Aquasim, was inaugurated at CSTB premises in Nantes (France), last September 17th, 2010. Unique in Europe, it reconstructs the water cycle in its natural size. Its work is concentrated on three major issues: the building and city development (stormwater management, energy recovery from Greywater ...), health (risk control of proliferation of Legionella, wastewater management ...) and innovation support (sustainability of materials in domestic networks, self sewerage ...). The project, amounting to 8.3 million Euros, was supported and funded by the CSTB, the European Union (ERDF), the French government, the Pays de la Loire region, Nantes metropolis, Suez and Cetim. Further information on EMWIS website.
11- The basin plan says that the "Tajo-Segura" canal is "essential" but not sufficient, so looking for other resources is needed. During his visit to the desalination Plant of San Pedro del Pinatar, in early 2007, President Rodriguez Zapatero proclaimed that the best thing for Murcia and the south of Alicante is to have "autonomy" of water, and to not depend on other regions. That independence was going to provide the industrial production of fresh water. The reality is different and starts from the beginning: a lack of resources.The government now admits that desalination is costly and proposes another water transfer. Further information on EMWIS website.
12- The World Bank has granted Tunisia a 206.5 million dollar loan, as part of support to the country's development. The payment comes in the form of three loans respectively allocated for the planned redevelopment of the northern part of Tunis, the main aim of which is to reduce the environmental impact of used water waste release into the Gulf of Tunis with the construction of an outflowing stream in the sea; management of natural resources in the rural and agricultural sector; and the world of employment. The deal was signed in Washington, during the annual meeting of the World Bank, by the Tunisian Minister of Development and Cooperation, Mohamed Nouri Jouini. Further information on EMWIS website.
13- Israeli metering company Arad Metering
Technologies is proposing to use battery operated aerial drones to read water
meters and detect leaks in the water networks. The drones, a product of Israel’s
hi-tech aerospace industry, would receive the data wirelessly, avoiding the need
to send out meter readers or having to install a high power wireless network in
what may be a sparsely populated area.
With their ability to cover a large geographical area the drone could read
meters in hours over an area that traditionally could take tens of days to cover.
Arad has installed its 3G wireless water meter technology in various cities in
Israel among others. As a result in Ariel and Kfar Shmaryahu the water waste has
been reduced from an estimated 20 percent and 15 percent respectively to 5
percent, while in Petach-Tikva, water losses, long a problem in the city, are
now running at around 2 percent. Further information on EMWIS
website.
14- Sensus, which already has a well-established, productive presence in North Africa, has signed an agreement to install 28,000 MeiStreamPlus water meters in Egypt. These innovative meters enable intelligent use and conservation of water resources. Launched in Europe in 2008, the MeiStreamPlus Class C C&I water meters’ wide flow range and accuracy improves performance for bulk meter applications. MeiStreamPlus says its “advanced bearing and hydraulics design means it effectively replaces three former meter technologies, merging the high overload capabilities of Woltman horizontal and vertical meters with the low flow performance of single jet Class C meters.” Further information on EMWIS website.
15- Mohamed bin Ali al-Hodar, the official in charge of water and electricity in Bahrain, met Egypt's minister of water resources, Mohamed Nasr al-Din Allam, earlier in September in Cairo to discuss cooperation between the two countries on a number of fronts, with desalination taking the lead. "We believe that the future water shortages can be greatly curtailed with action on the desalination front," said Ahmed Hegazy, a spokesman for the Egyptian ministry. He told Bikya Masr that through this potential partnership, "Egypt and Bahrain can act now before the situation becomes worse." The two sides agreed to hold training courses in Egypt and Bahrain on water management. Hegazy said his ministry plans to send an Egyptian delegation in the near future to Bahrain to get acquainted with the country's expertise in desalination and groundwater. Further information on EMWIS website.
16- A financial agreement for an amount of 4 million Euros was signed on the 17th of October by Ministry of Planning; Mr Dov Zerah CEO of the French Development Agency (AFD); Dr Ali Jarbawi, Minister of Planning and Administration Development (MOPAD) and Mr Frederic Desagneaux, French Consul General in Jerusalem. The agreement concerns the construction of a regional wastewater treatment plant in North Gaza. The current plant operates at over four times its nominal capacity. In 2005, AFD, the World Bank, Belgian and Swedish Development & Cooperation and the European Union mobilized USD 46 million for the implementation of a two-phase project. The first phase provided for the construction of a pumping station in Beit Lahia and the implementation of infiltration basin to transfer the sewage to the new site at East of Jabalia to avoid any new flooding of the surrounding areas of Beit Lahia. The second phase of the project aims to build a biological treatment plant in Jabalia with a capacity of 35,600 m3/day and is expected to meet all the needs of the North Gaza by 2015. To recover and reuse the treated wastewater an agricultural system will also be set up. With this 4 million Euros grant, additional to the 12 million Euros provided in 2005, AFD will be the main contributor of the second phase. Further information on EMWIS website.
17- Farmers and herders are being targeted with microfinance in an effort to relieve drought-related poverty in Syria. Widely used across the developing world since the 1970s, Syria has relatively few providers. "Microfinance can be an important tool for relieving poverty and improving livelihoods both by directly raising income and indirectly increasing the sense of empowerment or ability to access education," according to Mohammed Khaled, Middle East and North Africa representative of the Washington DC-based Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP). Over 1.3 million people have been affected by the drought which started in 2006, according to the UN. Last month UN Special Rapporteur Oliver de Schutter said 2-3 million people had been pushed into extreme poverty in Syria, with many thousands having left the northeast region for the cities, with no source of income. Microfinance initiatives are targeting both those who have moved to the cities and those who have remained in the area. In drought-prone areas the Aga Khan Foundation is working with its subsidiary, the First Microfinance Institution (FMFI). FMFI provides 25 percent of its loans, which range from SYP 3,000-150,000 (US$65-3,247), to the agricultural sector. Much of the microfinance is targeted at measures to combat drought. Further information on EMWIS website.
18- The Government of UAE said recently that increasing the emergency water supply would be a priority, easing some anxieties over the country's reliance on desalination plants and its vulnerability to sea pollution such as algal blooms or a major oil spill. Officials at the International Symposium on Managed Aquifer Recharge detailed the Government's strategy of pumping millions of litres of desalinated water into underground aquifers - geological formations that have existed for thousands of years -tripling the emergency supply to last at least 90 days. Those involved with the project explain how the water will be stored and cared for in the buried pockets. The aquifers are the best option because they are less expensive, better for the environment and less exposed to potential security threats than a vast installation of above-ground tanks would be, according to Abu Dhabi's Environment Agency. Further information on EMWIS website.
19- Following the recognition of the human right to drinking water and sanitation several months ago, the UN Human Rights Council clarified at a recent session that the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation is derived from the already existing right to adequate standard of living. Member states reached consensus on this decision, which establishes the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation as legally binding in international law. Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) welcomes this historic decision. Mr. Anders Berntell, Executive Director of SIWI described the decision as “an important step in the work to secure access to drinking water and sanitation for all.” He added that SIWI has actively supported global advocacy efforts to recognise this human right. The new resolution reaffirms the primary responsibility by states to ensure the full realisation of the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation. It stipulates that states must ensure transparency, non-discrimination and accountability in the provision of drinking water and sanitation services, whether provided by state or non-state actors (such as private companies, entrepreneurs, NGOs, community-based organisations and state-owned companies). Welcoming this new resolution, Mr. Berntell said “it is urgent that all actors collaborate and speed up their efforts to implement the right to safe drinking water and sanitation. This is a responsibility for governments as well as local authorities, but also for the international community including international financial institutions and donors.” Further information on EMWIS website.
20- Cap-Net and the International Network of Basin Organizations (INBO) convened a seminar at the Stockholm World Water Week last month to explore issues of performance measurement using indicators in transboundary basins and financing water resources managment at the basin level. Experiences from the Senegal River showed that in transboundary basins states tended to concentrate on only one or two issues where they have a heavy stake (such as transport, infrastructure or water quantity). While this made agreement on one set of indicators difficult, it makes the negotiation process as important as the result in that the information products produced from the indicator monitoring, were acceptable to the whole basin and beyond. Participants concluded that 3 main factors could improve financing: institutional stability and a good governance structure supported by legislation; transparency and accountability; and a clear and full mandate for managing resources. Further information on EMWIS website.
21- Results of a new study by the American National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) scientist Aiguo Dai indicate that the U.S. and other heavily populated countries face a growing threat of severe and prolonged drought in coming decades, according to the National Science Foundation. The detailed analysis concludes that warming temperatures associated with climate change will likely create increasingly dry conditions across much of the globe in the next 30 years. The drought may reach a scale in some regions by the end of the century that has rarely, if ever, been observed in modern times. Using an ensemble of 22 computer climate models and a comprehensive index of drought conditions, as well as analyses of previously published studies, the paper reports that by the 2030s, dryness is likely to increase substantially across most of the Western Hemisphere, along with large parts of Eurasia, Africa and Australia. By later this century, many of the world's most densely populated regions will be threatened with severe drought conditions. Further information on EMWIS website.
22- Rivers that serve 80% of the world's population are threatened by agricultural runoff, pollution and invasive species, according to a new international study. 'Riverthreat' was funded in part by the EU's EVOLTREE ('Evolution of trees as drivers of terrestrial biodiversity') project, which received just over EUR 14 million under the 'Sustainable development, global change and ecosystems' Thematic area of the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6). The findings were recently published in the journal Nature. Researchers studied the effects of a variety of environmental stressors on water systems. They found that in addition to threatening human lives, pollutants also endanger the biodiversity of 65% of the world's river habitats and put thousands of aquatic wildlife species at risk. The team produced a series of maps documenting these negative impacts using a computer-based framework. The researchers found that the security of human water supplies were highly threatened in both developed and developing nations, but insisted that the expensive engineering schemes used by rich western countries trying to solve such problems were untenable for poorer nations, and called for a global, more economic approach to water security. One of the study's goals is to support international protocols that can be used for water system protection. The researchers believe an international approach is critical since more than 250 river basins cross international borders. Further information on EMWIS website.
23- Farmers traditionally keep a close eye on their fields, but a new ESA-led project seeks to build on their vigilance with monitoring from space. The TalkingFields initiative is now showing how to combine satellite observation with satellite navigation to benefit European farmers. TalkingFields will help by using precision farming methods to produce crops more efficiently. For instance, by optimising farmers’ use of fertiliser and giving early warning of plant disease risks, both costs and environmental impacts can be reduced. How does it work? The farmer requests the service for an area defined using satnav. Satellites gather information on the land’s potential – observations over several years can reveal variations in crop growth through soil changes – as well as current crop status. These results are combined with information from field sensors such as weather conditions and soil moisture. The farmer adds in his own knowledge, and in return receives detailed satnav instructions on where and how much fertiliser to spray, for example. A variety of satellites can be employed, although priority will be given to free data sources such as Landsat and ESA’s forthcoming Sentinel-2 satellites, due for launch in 2012. Further information on EMWIS website.
24- Our view of Earth is set to become even sharper with new instruments to be carried on ESA's Sentinel-3 satellites. In many ways, it will be like looking at Earth through a new pair of glasses. Sentinel-3 is one of the five missions that ESA is developing for Europe's Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) initiative. Primarily, Sentinel-3 will deliver data for GMES services related to the marine environment, such as ocean-current forecasting services that need surface-temperature information, sea-water quality and pollution-monitoring services requiring ocean-colour products and surface-wave information for maritime safety. Further information on EMWIS website.
25- A recent study highlights the need to consider water consumption when evaluating low-carbon energy production systems, such as biofuels and solar photovoltaic systems, for use in transportation. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates the worldwide requirement for liquid fuels for transport will increase by 50 per cent between 2005 and 2030. For society to meet the twin challenges of combating climate change and providing energy security, developing new low-carbon energy sources for transport is essential. However, energy production consumes large quantities of water. There are concerns over future water supplies and the water consumption of alternative energy sources should be assessed before these technologies are adopted on a wide scale. In this study, the water consumption of low-carbon energy technologies over the whole supply chain was assessed using a life cycle assessment (LCA) approach. Water consumption in this study covered water used in processes such as irrigation, mining and production, and reflects water evaporated, incorporated in products or waste, or disposed of in the sea after use. The researchers compared the life cycle of water used to produce unleaded fuel with two main types of low-carbon energy. Further information on EMWIS website.
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NOMINATIONS and
VACANCIES
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26- Spain's Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has named a new deputy premier and foreign minister as part of his biggest cabinet reshuffle since taking office in 2004. Trinidad Jimenez, who has held the health position, will take over from Miguel Angel Moratinos as Foreign Minister. Rosa Aguilar takes up the Environment portfolio. She was originally a member of left wingers I.U. and was Mayor of Córdoba for many years for them until being persuaded into the Junta de Andalucía where she has been working in Public Works. Further information on EMWIS website.
27- Nomination of a New President for ISPRA: On 7 October, the Council of Ministers in Italy appointed the Engineer Bernardo De Bernardinis President of the Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA). The Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, ISPRA (Istituto superiore per la protezione e la ricerca ambientale), has been established by Decree no. 112 of 25 June 2008, converted into Law no. 133 (with amendments) on 21 August 2008. Further information on EMWIS website.
28- Martina Zupan has been appointed the new Chair of the Global Water Partnership Central and Eastern Europe from January 2011. Ms. Zupan, a Slovenian senior scientist, holds a degree in chemistry and has extensive experience in water management, sustainable development, public participation, ecology, and water quality monitoring and assessment. Until end of this year, she will work with current Chair Mr. Liviu Nicolae Popescu, who stays with Regional Water Partnership in his capacity of Senior Advisor and Steering Committee member. Further information on EMWIS website.
29- The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has just elected Swedish member, Mr Staffan Nilsson, as president of the consultative body for a two-and-a-half year term. The EESC leadership will include vice-president Ms Anna Maria Darmanin, a Maltese member now in charge of communication, and vice-president Mr Jacek Krawczyk, a Polish national responsible for the Committee's budget issues. The EESC, a consultative body of the European Union, renews its membership at the inaugural session being held from 19 to 21 October. Further information on EMWIS website.
30- Dr. Noreddine Ghaffour has joined the Water Desalination & Reuse Center at King Abdullah University of Scienceand Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia. Dr Ghaffour was formerly the R&D project manager at the Middle East Desalination Research Center (MEDRC) in Oman. Further information on EMWIS website.
31- The results of the selection of 4 thematic experts in charge of the definition of the ToR of the call for strategic projects of the ENPI CBC-MED programme are available now: Thematic expert n. 3: Water management with attention on: - The quantity and quality of supply, with a focus on alternative water supplies and waste-water re-use; and/or - The efficient use of water resources, with a focus on agricultural use: BLINDA Mohamed (22 points), SAMARAS Petros (19 points), USAI Domenico (11 points). Further information on EMWIS website.
32- Open positions for senior researchers under “Augusto González Linares” 2010 program: in Water Sciences/Resources, Environmental Fluid Mechanics, Ecohydraulics, Hydrology, Hydroinformatics. The University of Cantabria (Spain) invites applications to three senior research positions to lead and consolidate new research lines and projects. Salary and rank commensurate with qualifications and experience. Ranging initially from 60,000€ to 100,000€ per year. Closing date to receive applications: October 31st, 2010. Further information on EMWIS website.
33- Vacancy annoucement - UNOPS - P-5 Chief Technical Adviser (UN-Water) based in Geneva (Switzerland)- closing date 12 November 2010: UNOPS helps its partners in the United Nations system meet the world’s needs for building peace, recovering from disaster, and creating sustainable development. Further information on EMWIS website.
34- Programme Officer, Integrated Water Resources Management – United Nations University, UN-Water Decade Programme on Capacity Development (Bonn, Germany). Closing Date: 14 November 2010. Further information on EMWIS website.
35- Lecturer in Drainage and Sewerage and Lecturer in Sanitary Engineering (m/f) – 1 FTE, UNESCO-IHE : The UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education offers post-graduate courses and PhD research programmes in Delft, The Netherlands, and carries out research and capacity building projects all over the world. Applications with curriculum vitae can be sent until: 31 October 2010. Further information on EMWIS website.
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PUBLICATIONS
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36- Dr. Fadi Georges Comair, Director General of Hydraulic and Electrical Resources of Lebanon and the Director of the Water, Energy and Environment Research Center (WEERC) at Notre Dame University; has just presented on October, 24th his last book: "WaterManagement and Hydrodiplomacy in Lebanon". Further information on EMWIS website.
37- "Residential Water Scarcity in Cyprus: Impact of Climate Change and Policy Options" by Theodoros Zachariadis is a new paper published at "Water - Open Access Journal, Volume 2, Issue 4". This paper presents an assessment of the cost of water scarcity in Cyprus. Further information on EMWIS website.
38- "Right to Water in the MENA region", by Jauad El Kharraz, is a paper published at MENA Rule of Law Conference 2010 by The World Justice Project. Further information on EMWIS website.
39- New water resources book by Shimon Anisfeld: Shimon C. Anisfeld has just announced the publication of the book: Water Resources, the latest title in the Foundations of Contemporary Environmental Studies series. The book is a concise but comprehensive primer on all aspects of water resources, useful to both professionals and students. Further information on EMWIS website.
40- The Desalination Report: The report outlines the principal types of water desalination technologies in current use: distillation or thermal (MSF - multi stage flash distillation or MED - multi effect desalination), including cogeneration of electricity and water; and membrane, mainly reverse osmosis (RO), followed by electrodialysis (ED). The report surveys the usage of desalination in 50 countries and summarises regions, listing decision-makers and customers for the technology. Further information on EMWIS website.
41- Water Alternatives, Volume 3, Issue 3 - October 2010 issue "Water Management and (Semi-) Authoritarian States" is now available online. Further information on EMWIS website.
42- Here is the summary and coverage of a collective work to be published by Editions Charles Leopold Mayer: "It is far from the cup to the lip, When access to water becomes an issue of governance" by Mohamed Larbi Bouguerra, Khadija Darmame, Moussa Diop. Further information on EMWIS website.
43- A special issue (July-August-September 2010) of "Resonance", the newsletter of the Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS), has just appeared. Further information on EMWIS website.
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CALL FOR TENDERS and PROPOSALS
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44- "ENPI-MED CBC: call for strategic projects announced": The Joint Management Authority announced that the call for proposal on strategic projects for Cross-Boarder Cooperation in the Mediterranean will be launched in December 2010. These projects will involve a minimum of four partners representing four different countries, of which at least one EU Mediterranean Country and one Mediterranean Partner Country. Their budget range from a minimum of € 2 million up to a maximum of € 5 million. Budget announced for this call about € 37 million. Water management will be one of the priority topics with 2 sub-themes: i) Quantity and quality of supply, with a focus on alternative water supplies and wastewater re-use; ii) Efficient use of water resources, with a focus on agricultural use. The following partner countries have signed a Financing Agreement with the European Commission : - Egypt - Israel - Jordan - Lebanon - Palestinian Authority - Syria - Tunisia. These countries are now fully eligible to receive Programme funds. All the Financing Agreements have been countersigned by the Joint Managing Authority. Further information on EMWIS website.
45- December 2010 ENPI CBC-MED call for proposals on standard projects: Call for proposals on standard projects (one-step open procedure) focusing on the four Programme Priorities. Indicative launch date: December 2010. Indicative amount allocated: € 33 million. Further information on EMWIS website.
46- SNOWMAN network launches the third call for research proposals: The call will be opened between 15-9-2010 and 15-12-2010 at 17:00h, CET. The call is open to consortia consisting of researchers, stakeholders and other parties based in Belgium (Flanders and Wallonia), France, the Netherlands, and Sweden. Interested parties from other countries may take part in consortia, but will not be eligible for SNOWMAN funding. The involvement of stakeholders and socio economic scientists in the project team is highly recommended. The third call focuses on sustainable use of soil and soil quality. Projects proposed to this call should focus on (at least) one of these 3 different topics: Topic 1: Soil functions and ecosystem services, Topic 2: Sustainable agriculture and forestry, Topic 3: Contamination. Further information on EMWIS website.
47- Proposal for a EC Recommendation on a Joint Programming initiative on "Agriculture, Food Security and Climate Change": A new coordinated approach would be implemented through close cooperation between national research programmes. This should help identifying and responding more effectively to common challenges in the area of Agriculture, Food Security and Climate Change. Member States would engage in the definition, development and implementation of a common Strategic Research Agenda to address the combined challenges of food security against the continuous threat represented by various scenarios of climate change, global population, and food and non-food demand. However, the set up of a management structure by the participating countries is expected by the end of 2010. Several Member States have already started working jointly towards a common research agenda and will continue to do so during the time necessary to adopt this Recommendation. Further information on EMWIS website.
48- FP7 Framework Programme call for proposals - Environment (including Climate Change) Calls: FP7-ENV-2011: Budget: € 155 000 000. Deadline: 16 November 2010 at 17:00:00 (Brussels local time). Among the research activities to be funded under this call: ENV.2011.1.3.2-2 Vulnerability andincreased drought risk in Europe. ---> Collaborative Project (smallor medium-scale focusedresearch project), ENV.2011.2.1.2-1 Hydromorphology andecological objectives of WFD.---> Collaborative Project (largescale integrating project), ENV.2011.3.1.1-1 Technologies for waterscarcity mitigation in Latin American context.---> Collaborative Project (small or medium-scale focused research project) for specific cooperation actions (SICA) dedicated to international cooperation partner countries (focus on Latin America). Further information on EMWIS website.
50- The European Commission invites European non-governmental environmental organisations to present proposals for operating grants for 2011: Proposals will be assessed on policy relevance and potential impact of involvement in EU environmental policy-shaping and implementation, in relation to the following priority areas: Climate Change; Nature and Biodiversity; Environment and Health; Natural Resources and Waste; and Horizontal or cross-cutting issues (such as standardisation). Legal basis: Regulation (EC) No 614/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the Financial Instrument for the Environment (LIFE +). Finance available: 9.000.000 Euros (pending the approval of the corresponding appropriations by the budgetary authority). Deadline for applications: 3 December 2010. Further information on EMWIS website.
51- Egypt: "STDF Targeted calls for proposals - Water Desalination": Science and Technology Development Fund (STDF) general plan is to implement its objectives within the context of the national S&T development strategy which is the direct product of the Higher Council of Science & Technology and the individual strategies of the Egyptian Ministries. Deadline date for pre-proposal submission: 15/12/2010. Further information on EMWIS website.
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CALL FOR PAPERS
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52- International Journal of Water (IJW) call for papers - Special Issue on: "The Science, Economics and Policy of Environment Flows". The conflict between extractive and environmental use of surface water is growing and becoming a pressing issue as climate change threatens. This special issue will explore the science of establishing suitable flow regimes and the political, social and economic policy issues associated with restoring flow regimes in catchments fully allocated to extractive use. Deadline for submission: November 30th, 2010. Further information on EMWIS website.
53- On 21 and 22 November 2011, the 3rd International Symposium "RE-WATER" will take place in Brunswick/Germany. The symposium is organised by the Stadtentwässerung Braunschweig in cooperation with the Technische Universität Braunschweig , the Kompetenzzentrum Wasser Berlin and the Abwasserverband Braunschweig. The 3rd symposium is organised within the programme on water and wastewater reuse, nutrient recovery and closing of energy- and material cycles and focuses on "Implementation and Realisation". Deadline to submit an abstract (max. two pages, A4): 15 December 2010. Further information on EMWIS website.
54- Call for abstracts for the 2nd International Scientifc Congress of Engineering - CCII-11: The activity of this second congress aims to bring together the state of research and innovation in different subjects of interest between universities and research centers of the Mediterranean environment, to create links that favor the development of technical solutions the main future challenges facing the area. Themes: • Protection and exploitation of water resources. Current status, evolution and development of options and priorities in the management and use of water. • Clean energy. Renewable energy, energy conservation and efficiency as a contribution to sustainable development. • Sustainable management of the transport chain: modality. Efficiency of transport systems, its efficiency, services and sustainable development. • Information Technology and Communications for human development. Access tools and innovation knowledge, information and communication. Abstracts submission deadline: December 31, 2010. Further information on EMWIS website.
55 - Join the contest: Water, Climate and...Action! On the occasion of the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Climate Change (COP16), the United Nations World Water Assessment Programme and TheWaterChannel.tv, with the support of the Mexican National Water Commission (CONAGUA) and the Mexican Consejo Consultative del Agua, A.C., invite you to share your experience and your messages about climate change and its impacts on water and on your life. Tell us your story with a max 3-minute video! Entries, in the form of short videos or animations in English, French, or Spanish, will be accepted from 22 September to 15 November 2010. Further information on EMWIS website.
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TRAINING
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56- Feb 2011 – Aug 2012, Sida's International
Training Programme Sustainable Urban Water and Sanitation – Integrated Processes
: The overall objective of the programme is to provide the participants with
understanding and knowledge about the need for integrated approaches and the
organisational and institutional changes that are necessary for a sustainable
provision of water supply and sanitation services in urban areas. Implementation
of the various recommendations on water supply and sanitation that have come out
of international conferences and meetings over the last 20 years has been
extremely slow. Closing date for application is November
24, 2010. Further information on EMWIS
website.
57- Erasmus Mundus-UNESCO-IHE Scholarships: New Erasmus Mundus Masters Course on
Flood Risk Management:
The programme is offered by a collaboration
of 4 leading European Institutes namely UNESCO-IHE (lead), Technical University
of Dresden (Germany), Technical University of Catalonia (Barcelona, Spain) and
University of Ljubljana (Slovenia). The first semester will be provided at
Dresden, 2nd semester at UNESCO-IHE, 3rd at Catalonia and Ljubljana, and 4th
semester will be thesis research at one of the Institutes. Successful students
will receive 3 MSc degrees from UNESCO-IHE, TU Dresden and UPC Barcelona. A
number of attractive fellowships will be available, which will cover tuition
fees and living expenses. Further
information on EMWIS
website.
59- [2010/11/07 -
None] Virtual training course for Mediterranean coastal zone management, Online. 60-
[2010/10/24 - 2010/10/29]
MELIA project: Capacity building training seminar on integrated water
management, Venice, Italy.
================================================= [2010/12/01 -
2010/12/02] Promoting Development through Public Private Partnerships, Tunis,
Tunisia [2010/11/30 - 2010/12/03] Pollutec 2010,
Lyon, France [2010/11/25 - 2010/11/25] Présentation du
pôle thématique ICARE, Paris, France.
Further information on EMWIS website [2010/11/20 -
2010/11/21] The Union for the Mediterranean Summit, Barcelona, Spain.
Further information on EMWIS website
Further information on EMWIS website
Further information on EMWIS website [2010/10/27 - 2010/10/27]
Technical Workshop on National
Water Information System in
Egypt, Cairo, Egypt
Further information on EMWIS website [2010/10/24 -
2010/10/27] 3rd Beirut
Water Week, Beirut, Lebanon.
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WATER PROJECTS DATABASE (MEDA-NIPs, MEDA-Water, LIFE, SMAP, INCO-MED,
FP4-FP7, INTERREG, etc.)
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Further information on
EMWIS website.
Further information on
EMWIS website.
Further information on
EMWIS
website.
EVENTS (Full
Agenda)
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Further information on
EMWIS website.
Further information on
EMWIS website.
Further information on
EMWIS website.
[2010/11/29 - 2010/12/03] The Fifth Session of the International Conference
Geotunis 2010: The use of GIS and remote sensing for sustainable development,
Tunis, Tunisia.
Further information on
EMWIS website.
Further information on
EMWIS website.
[2010/11/24 - 2010/11/24] Water supply and wastewater treatment in EU external
aid programmes, Brussels, Belgium.
Further information on
EMWIS website.
[2010/11/24 - 2010/11/25] IWRM Karlsruhe 2010, Karlsruhe, Germany.
Further information on
EMWIS website.
[2010/11/23 - 2010/11/23] ACQUEAU Call 3 Information Day- 23rd November,
Brussels, Belgium.
Further information on
EMWIS website.
[2010/11/23 - 2010/11/25] XIIème Journées Scientifiques du Réseau Télédétection de l’A.U.F.-Tunisie_2010 » : « J .S._AUF-Tunisie_2010 »,
Monastir, Tunisia.
[2010/11/23 - 2010/11/25] Second session of the Meeting of the Parties to the
Protocol on Water and Health, Bucharest, Romania.
Further information on
EMWIS website.
[2010/11/22 - 2010/11/22] 7º North Africa Business Development Forum (NABDF),
Barcelona, Spain.
Further information on
EMWIS website.
Further information on
EMWIS website.
[2010/11/16 - 2010/09/17] WISE Geographical Information Systems workshop,
Copenhaguen, Denmark.
Further information on
EMWIS website.
[2010/11/15 - 2010/11/16] Consultation Meeting on the Proposed Integrated
Drought Management Programme, Geneva, Switzerland.
Further information on
EMWIS website.
[2010/11/13 - 2010/11/14] Les Deuxièmes Journées Internationales Sur « Les Risques Industriels, Technologiques et Impact sur L’Environnement » - JIRITE Oran 2010,
Algeria.
[2010/11/11 - 2010/11/12] Waterworlds: Tourism development, conflicts and
planning, Lisbon, Portugal.
Further information on
EMWIS website.
[2010/11/10 - 2010/11/12] 2010 Euro-Mediterranean Summit of Economic and Social
Councils and Similar Institutions
Further information on
EMWIS website.
[2010/11/10 - 2010/11/12] Innovation, Efficiency and Collaboration in Urban and
Waste Water Drainage Conference, Blackpool, UK.
Further information on
EMWIS website.
[2010/11/10 - 2010/11/12] Euromed Summit of Economic and Social Councils and
Similar Institutions, Rome, Italy.
Further information on
EMWIS website.
[2010/11/10 - 2010/11/13] MEDAYS 2010: "The Southern Forum : Latin America -
Africa - Asia", Tangiers, Morocco.
Further information on
EMWIS website.
[2010/11/10 - 2010/11/13] France Expo 2010, Casablanca,
Morocco.
[2010/11/10 - 2010/11/12] IWA conference: "Water and Energy", Amsterdam, The
Netherlands.
Further information on
EMWIS website.
[2010/11/08 - 2010/11/11] Drylands, Deserts and Desertification: The Route to
Restoration, Sede Boqer Campus, Israel.
Further information on
EMWIS website.
[2010/11/08 - 2010/11/10] 6th Algeria Electricity and Water Expo, Algiers,
Algeria.
Further information on
EMWIS website.
[2010/11/07 - 2010/11/08] UfM Agriculture - Euro-Mediterranean Ministerial
Conference on Food Security, Agriculture and Rural Development, Cairo, Egypt.
Further information on
EMWIS website.
[2010/11/05 - 2010/11/05] 6th EWA Brussels Conference - Implementing the River
Basin Management Plans: State of reporting and expectations, Brussels, Belgium.
Further information on
EMWIS website.
[2010/11/04 - 2010/11/05] AFED Annual Conference: "Water: Sustainable Management
of a Scarce Resource", Beirut, Lebanon.
Further information on
EMWIS website.
[2010/11/03 - 2010/11/06] 14ème salon international de la récupération de matière et d’énergie et du développement durable,
Rimini, Italy.
[2010/11/03 - 2010/11/05] High-Level Climate Change Consultation, Public-Private
Knowledge Fair, and Launch Event of the Arab Climate Resilience Initiative,
Rabat, Morocco.
Further information on
EMWIS website.
[2010/11/02 - 2010/11/02] WssTP Workshop on Urban Areas, Rome, Italy.
Further information on
EMWIS website.
[2010/10/31 - 2010/11/05] The 2010 Global Conference on Agriculture, Food
Security and Climate Change,The Hague, The Netherlands.
Further information on
EMWIS website.
[2010/10/27 - 2010/10/27] Meeting of the Intergroup Water: Commissioner Connie
HEDEGAARD on "Climate Action and Water", Brussels, Belgium.
Further information on
EMWIS website.
[2010/10/27 - 2010/10/29] ICSWRM 2010 : "International Conference on Sustainable
Water Resources Management", Kyoto, Japan
Further information on
EMWIS website.
Further information on EMWIS
website.
[2010/10/26 - 2010/10/28]
World Economic Forum on MENA region, Marrakech,
Morocco.
[2010/10/25 - 2010/10/29] Global Forum on Salinization and Climate Change,
Valencia, Spain.
Further information on
EMWIS website.
Further information on EMWIS
website
[2010/10/23 - 2010/10/23] First Mediterranean Green Development Investors Forum,
Athens, Greece.
Further information on EMWIS
website.
PROJECTS (Projects
database)
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BRIEF EMWIS SITE MAP
===============================================
ABOUT EMWIS (Priorities,
Activities,
Objectives,
Structure,
Funding,
Team)
WATER in the EURO-MED PARTNERSHIP (MEDA
programme,
Key dates,
European
Neighbourhood Policy)
EMWIS NATIONAL WEBSITES:
Algeria,
Egypt,
Israel,
Jordan,
Lebanon,
Morocco,
Palestine,
Syria,
Tunisia,
Turkey,
Cyprus,
Malta,
Spain,
France,
Italy,
Portugal,
Austria,
Greece,
Belgium,
Luxembourg
EMWIS WATER MULTILINGUAL THESAURUS (Available in English, French,
Arabic, Spanish & Italian)-
Water glossaries
DOCUMENTATION (EMWIS
meetings,
Documentary database,
Funding for water,
Key documents,
Water Legislation)
WHO DOES WHAT IN THE WATER SECTOR (By
contacts, organisations & information sources)
PARTNERS &
SPONSORS (OIEau,
CEDEX, SOGESID, EC,
INBO,
IME,
GWP-Med,
MED-EUWI,
SMAP-RMSU)
MEDA-WATER PROJECTS (ADIRA,
EMPOWERS,
EMWater,
IrWA,
ISIIMM,
MEDAWARE,
MEDROPLAN,
MEDWA,
Zer0-M)
WATER INITIATIVES (MED-EUWI,
WFD,
INCO-MED,
LIFE,
MEDSTAT,
SMAP,
EXACT,
UNEP-MAP,
MSSD,
HORIZON 2020,
Union for the Mediterranean) &
Mediterranean Water
Information Mechanism
FORUM ;
FAQ ;
TOPICS (MedWIP,
Water scarcity,
groundwater,
wastewater reuse,
desalination,
satellite data, etc)
SEARCH EMWIS WEBSITE
EMWIS SITEMAP
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CONTACT US
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