Integrated technological and management solutions for wastewater treatment and efficient agricultural reuse in Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia
Authors: Frascari Dario , Zanaroli Giulio , Motaleb Mohamed Abdel , Annen Giorgio , Belguith Khaoula , Borin Sara , Choukr-Allah Redouane , Gibert Catherine , Jaouani Atef , Kalogerakis Nicolas , Karajeh Fawzi , Ker Rault Philippe A , Khadra Roula , Kyriacou Stathis , Li Wen-Tao , Molle Bruno , Mulder Marijn , Oertlé Emmanuel , Ortega Consuelo Varela 
Published: March 2018

Mediterranean-African countries (MACs) face a major water crisis. The annual renewable water resources are close to the 500 m3/capita threshold of absolute water scarcity, and water withdrawals exceed total renewable water resources by 30%. Such a low water availability curbs economic development in agriculture, which accounts for 86% of freshwater consumption. The analysis of the current situation of wastewater treatment, irrigation, and water management in MACs and of the research projects targeted to these countries indicates the need for 1) an enhanced capacity to analyze water stress, 2) the development of water management strategies capable of including wastewater reuse, and 3) development of locally adapted water treatment and irrigation technologies. This analysis shaped the MADFORWATER project (www.madforwater.eu), whose goal is to develop a set of integrated technological and management solutions to enhance wastewater treatment, wastewater reuse for irrigation, and water efficiency in agriculture in Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia. MADFORWATER develops and adapts technologies for the production of irrigation-quality water from drainage canals and municipal, agro-industrial, and industrial wastewaters and technologies for water efficiency and reuse in agriculture, initially validated at laboratory scale, to 3 hydrological basins in the selected MACs. Selected technologies will be further adapted and validated in 4 demonstration plants of integrated wastewater treatment and reuse. Integrated strategies for wastewater treatment and reuse targeted to the selected basins are developed, and guidelines for the development of integrated water management strategies in other basins of the 3 target MACs will be produced. The social and technical suitability of the developed technologies and nontechnological tools in relation to the local context is evaluated with the participation of MAC stakeholders and partners. Guidelines on economic instruments and policies for the effective implementation of the proposed water management solutions in the target MACs will be developed. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2018;14:447–462. © 2018 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC)

Key Points

Mediterranean African Countries (MACs) face a dramatic water crisis, with per capita water resources close to the threshold of absolute water scarcity and water withdrawals largely exceeding total renewable water resources. The main needs and research gaps in MACs in the field of water are: enhanced capacity to analyze water stress; development of water management strategies capable to include wastewater (WW) reuse; development of locally adapted water treatment and irrigation technologies. MADFORWATER, a Horizon 2020 research project, aims at developing integrated technological and management solutions to enhance WW treatment, WW reuse for irrigation and water efficiency in agriculture in Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia. MADFORWATER includes: development of technologies to treat 4 different WW types and to reuse them for irrigation; validation of selected technologies in 4 demonstrator plants of integrated WW treatment and reuse; production of water management strategies for 3 basins in the target MACs.