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In this issue N°142 (http://www.emwis.net/thematicdirs/eflash/flash142)
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HEADLINE

1- Guidelines published by the Mediterranean Water Knowledge Platform

In Brief

10- ENIS Regional Water workshop 22- 23  May 2019 Copenhagen, Denmark

11- SUPROMED:  A new research and innovation action to improve the sustainability of Mediterranean agro-ecosystems (PRIMA Call 2018)

12- VISCA: Replicability of climate services from Wine-grapes to Olives & Cereals – Challenges, Requirements and Funding

13- Successful Final Infoday of Life-ANADRY project

14- HYDROUSA: An innovative European project for regenerative & circular economy solutions focusing on water

15- Circular-City: A wide scientific cooperation network investigating Nature Based Solutions, Vienna, 13-15 February 2019

16- Med-Greenhouses: Interreg Med Green Growth community workshop & Interreg Med capitalisation seminar in Thessaloniki, March 2019

17- Jordan: ICRC sign $25m deal to rehabilitate water infrastructure in host communities

18- Egypt: Housing Ministry draws up plan to maximize use of water resources   

19- Italy could be forced to import olive oil because of extreme weather

20- Malta: Water taken from Maltese boreholes is up by 24%, and nobody is even paying for it

21- Lebanon: EU Ambassador Christina Lassen meets with Minister of Environment Fadi Jreissati and Minister of Energy and Water Nada Boustani

22- Spain: Produce growers in sunny south Spain brace for Brexit pain

23- Morocco to receive US $34.6m grant to support sustainable development

24- Tunisia: Sonede inaugurates 2  projects in the water sector in La Manouba

25- Tunisia: A new methodology for allocating irrigation water

26- France: The ministry of ecology and solidarity Transition and the ministry of Agriculture and Food together for the steering committee of the water Assizes

27 - Algeria: institutional twinning on Integrated Water Resources Management comes to an end

NOMINATIONS & VACANCIES

PUBLICATIONS

CALL FOR TENDERS AND PROPOSALS

CALL FOR PAPERS

TRAINING AND COURSES

EVENTS

CONTACT US / COMMENTS

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HEADLINE
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1- The Mediterranean Water Knowledge Platform (MWKP) has recently published several guidelines and state of play report. The MWKP is an initiative labeled by the Union for the Mediterranean, that aims to provide a common basis for the development of National Water Information Systems (NWIS) and to deliver an assessment of water resources management and use (drafting of a White Paper) by collecting and exploiting data from the NWIS. Thanks to the support of the Fondation Prince Albert II of Monaco, the French Ministry in charge of Environment and the UfM Secretariat, the consortium partners have prepared several reports to support the Mediterranean water institutions: 1) Recommendations on legislative and regulatory frameworks for the development of National Water Information Systems (English and French); 2) a practical guide for implementing a national white paper on water (French); and 3) a guide for developing National Water Information Systems in the Mediterranean (English and French). The later one has been prepared under the patronage of UNESCO and is a Mediterranean adaptation of "Handbook of Water Information Systems: administration, treatment and exploitation of water data" published jointly by INBO and UNESCO in March 2018 on the occasion of the 8th Forum World Water. Further information on MWKP website

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IN BRIEF (Full news)
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3- The Euro-Mediterranean Information System on know-how in the Water sector EMWIS/SEMIDE is pleased to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding “MoU” with The Middle-East Desalination Research Center (MEDRC). The MoU was signed on 15 January 2019 by Ciaran O Cuinn (MEDRC Director) and Manuel Menendez Prieto (General water Director of Spain, and EMWIS President). It describes how the parties shall cooperate, consistent with their respective mandates and interests, exchange for implementing water information systems and joint research projects in particular on non-conventional water resources as well as for capacity building in support of improved water resources management at regional and national levels. Further information on EMWIS website

4-  MEPs "Members of the European Parliament" want to secure the EU’s freshwater sources by promoting water reuse in agriculture. Population growth, urbanisation and tourism have all contributed to the water shortages and droughts that are increasingly affecting many areas of Europe, especially the Mediterranean region. Water sources are under stress and the situation is expected to get worse because of climate change. According to an estimate, by 2030 half of Europe’s river basins could be affected by water scarcity. In order to secure Europe’s freshwater supplies for the years to come, MEPs voted in favour of a proposal for the reuse of wastewater on 12 February. The new rules aim to promote the use of treated wastewater for agricultural irrigation, which accounts for about half of the water used in the EU every year. Increased water reuse in farming could help reduce water scarcity. In order to ensure safety of the crops, the new rules introduce minimum requirements for water quality, require frequent monitoring and oblige wastewater treatment plants to draw up risk management plans. Member state authorities would issue permits for the treatment plants and check for compliance of rules. Further information on EMWIS website

5- Strengthening environmental governance and the development of environmental policies both play an important role in the achievement of many of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). On 11–12 February 2019, a UNECE expert mission visited ministries and stakeholders in Podgorica to kick off a project that will assist Montenegro in formulating actions to achieve relevant SDGs. The assistance is based on the recommendations provided in the Third Environmental Performance Review (EPR) of Montenegro, published out in 2014. The project “Evidence‐based environmental governance and sustainable environmental policies in support of the 2030 Agenda in South‐East Europe” is supported by the United Nations Development Account. Further information on EMWIS website  

6-   Three years after adoption, the Circular Economy Action Plan can be considered fully completed. Its 54 actions have now been delivered or are being implemented. According to the findings of the report, implementing the Circular Economy Action Plan has accelerated the transition towards a circular economy in Europe, which in turn has helped putting the EU back on a path of job creation. In 2016, sectors relevant to the circular economy employed more than four million workers, a 6% increase compared to 2012. Circularity has also opened up new business opportunities, given rise to new business models and developed new markets, domestically and outside the EU. In 2016, circular activities such as repair, reuse or recycling generated almost €147 billion in value added while accounting for around €17.5 billion worth of investments. Further information on EMWIS website

7- On 22-24 January 2019, the city of Marseille hosted an international workshop co-organized by Plan Bleu, IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation, French Committee of IUCN, Conservatoire du Littoral, Tour du Valat, MedWET and Wetlands International. About an hundred participants (researchers, practitioners and policy makers of the Mediterranean region and European Union) were able to discuss on the benefits and challenges of implementing nature-based solutions in the Mediterranean region. Working sessions focused on NBS for cities, NBS for river basin management, NBS for coastal and marine ecosystems. All presentations are available online. Further information on EMWIS website 

8- 19th February 2019, Rome, Italy – The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Foundation for the Partnership on Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area (PRIMA Foundation), a network of research and innovation institutions in 19 participating Mediterranean countries, are joining efforts to foster innovation, research, technology transfer and capacity development. Together, the two organizations will address challenges related to climate change, urbanization and sustainability, both in the Mediterranean region and beyond. The agreement formalizes collaborations between the two organizations in the field of e-learning, digital education, and capacity development as concerns the agro-food systems in the Mediterranean area. It also provides a legal framework for the co-organization of joint initiatives, workshops and opportunities to scale-up successful cases of innovation and research results. Both PRIMA Foundation and FAO have developed materials that will benefit from mutual integration and greater dissemination, including through online learning platforms. Further information on EMWIS website

9- Jordan Ministry of Water Secretary General Eng. Ali Subah said that Jordan has made great progress in enabling the water sector to meet the rapidly changing demands in water supply and sanitation networks, as well as rehabilitating and improving groundwater management, in addition to regulating the work of the sector especially in the efficient use of energy and introducing renewable energy to meet the high 40% costs of managing water. This came during the Fifth Arab Water Week 2019 Conference, under the title "Towards Sustainable Development in the Water and Sanitation", which was held under the patronage of HRH Prince Al Hassan Bin Talal. Eng. Khaldoun Al-Khamshan, Secretary General of the Arab Association for Water Utilities, said that the conference has become a forum for experts, decision-makers and the private sector working in the water and sanitation sector, pointing out that 19 international organizations and bodies will participate in this conference to discuss and propose new ideas and solutions. Further information on EMWIS website

10- The implementation of the principles and practices of the Shared Environmental Information System (SEIS) in the ENP South region is progressing. The ENI SEIS II South support mechanism has recently issued a newsletter highlighting its latest regional and national activities. Forthcoming activities have been defined within the 2019-2020 work plan adopted at its last Steering Committee meeting held in Vienna in October 2018. One of the objective is to prepare the next H2020 assessment, using State of Environment and Development report (drivers) and Quality Status Report (state). On the 22 and 23 May 2019, a regional water workshop will be organised at the European Environment Agency in Copenhagen.  This regional workshop will focus on the progress with the production of H2020 water indicators and preparation of related water thematic assessment in support to the production of the 2nd Horizon 2020 indicator based assessment report. Further information on EMWIS website

11- The results of first PRIMA call section 1 were published on 25 January 2019. 9 projects were selected for funding out of the 21 proposals pre-selected. SUPROMED "SUstainable PROduction in water limited environments of MEDiterranean agro-ecosystem" is one of them. It was submitted under section 1 Farming Systems / by a multidisciplinary team of ten partners from five countries Spain (UCLM, ITAP, HISPATEC),  France (SEMIDE), Greece (UTH, 3DSA), Lebanon (DIFAF, ULFA) and Tunisia (INRGREF, INGC).  The main objective is to enhance the economic and environmental sustainability of Mediterranean farming systems through a more efficient management of water, energy and fertilizers. SUPROMED is combining different models and tools: water, energy and fertilisation management models, meteorological and climatic tools in order to develop, implement and validate an end user’s IT platform aiming to provide effective advice for more efficient crop management. SUPROMED will start in October 2019. Further information on EMWIS website

12- The EC funded VISCA project (Vineyards Integrated Smart Climate Application) has been running almost 2 years, developing models and tools for vines growers to adapt their practices to Climate Change in the short, medium and long term. Demonstrations are going on in Italy, Portugal and Spain. But of project is to evaluate the replicability potential in the wine sector in different countries globally as well as to evaluate the replicability of the tool in other agricultural sectors such as olive trees, cereals, etc. This evaluation involves also exploring EU funding mechanisms for further deployment. During VISCA 2nd Stakeholders’ Workshop (Naples, December 2018) where end-users and members from the Project Advisory Board participated, a session on replicability was organised to gather inputs on the challenges, requirements and funding for the replicability of VISCA. See the full article on the replicability session on VISCA Website.

13- A successful Final Infoday of Life-ANADRY project took place on 26 February  at Murcia Science Park. During the day more than 100 people attended representing technicians from the public sector, private companies and research centers who were interested in knowing the technology. Joaquín Ruiz manager of ESAMUR made the opening statement of the day and he highlighted the importance of projects such as Life-ANADRY in the region. Pedro Simón explained the management of sludge carried out by ESAMUR and other ongoing projects of the company. The presentation of results of Life-ANADRY project was carried out by Javier Sánchez (DAM) and Enrique Aymerich (Ceit-IK4) on behalf of all project partners. In the second session of the event, several studies and projects related to the management of sludge, biomethane and agronomic valorization were presented. Further information on Life-ANADRY website

14- Organised by UT SEMIDE, the European project HYDROUSA – which aims to provide innovative and nature inspired solutions for Mediterranean islands in terms of water / wastewater treatment and management through closing water loops and boosting agricultural and energy profiles – held its 2nd General Meeting on 31st January- 1st February 2019 in Nice at the Centre Universitaire Méditerranéen (C.U.M). The meeting brought together the project consortium, composed of 27 partners and direct stakeholders coming from French and other European Islands to discuss the implementation progress of the project. The project organized a stakeholder’s session during the afternoon of 1st February to collaborate with stakeholders from the replicability sites coming from Porquerolles and ZlarinIslands (Croatia) represented by SMILO network (Sustainable Islands network launched by Conservatoire du Littoral) and Elba Island (Italy). The meeting was also attended by two Advisory Board members, Prof Michael Scoullos, Chair of GWP-Med and MIO-ECSDE (Greece), and Florent Chazarenc, Research Director at IRSTEA (France). They both appreciated the overall dynamic of the project, the positive energy of the 60 participants and they gave recommendations for future activities. Further information on HYDROUSA website

15- More than 170 participants representing 36 countries out of 38 involved in the "Circular City" COST action CA17133, came together at Boku university in Vienna for a 3-days workshop, 15-17 February 2019. One of the core objective of this workshop was the preparation of a state of art paper on Nature Based Solutions for circular city around the following 5 topics: build environment, Sustainable Urban Water Utilisation, Resource Recovery, Urban Farming and Transformation Tools. In addition, some 70 projects were presented during poster sessions, all being summarized in a booklet available on Circular City website. The scientific network is also organising training, summer schools, short term scientific missions and conference grants. Further information on  Circular City website 

16- On 6 March 2019 the Interreg MED Green Growth community  organized a Thematic Working Groups Workshop in Thessaloniki, Greece.  More than 60 people participated at the event. Four Thematic Groups (Production and Consumption: Resource efficiency /Production and Consumption: Smart and Green Public Services/ Waste prevention & management/ Competitiveness and innovation) have been organized and it was the occasion for the 14 Green Growth projects to work  closely together and exchange ideas for the benefit of the MED area as a whole. Med-Greenhouses was one of the contributing projects, focusing on innovation in greenhouses agriculture. The event was held back to back with the Interreg MED Capitalisation Plan workshop organised by the joint secretariat of the interreg Med programme on 7th March 2019.  During the workshop the 10 programme communities presented their activities and capitalization focus groups has been organized on the development of the Mediterranean capitalization strategy and action plan. Further information on  Med_Greenhouses website

17- The Jordan Ministry of Water and Irrigation (MWI) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on 5 March signed an agreement and a memorandum of understanding to rehabilitate the infrastructure in refugee-hosting communities.  The $25-million memo was signed by Water Minister Raed Abul Saud and head of the ICRC delegation in Jordan, Jurg Montani. The ministry's plans aim to counter the exceptional conditions that the Kingdom is experiencing as a result of hosting hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees, in cooperation with the international organisations and donors, along with the ICRC, Abul Saud said. He added that the ministry's plans aim at developing the quality and supply of drinking water and preserving available resources while rebuilding the main water distribution grid. Further information on EMWIS website

19- Italy could soon be forced to import olive oil to stem a dramatic decline in production, a climate scientist has warned, as extreme weather events wreak havoc with harvests and threaten a shortage of one of the country's most essential culinary products. Bad weather and frost have crippled the olive oil industry in recent months, causing a 57% drop in production over 2018 and costing the sector almost 1 billion euros ($1.13bn). The fall has forced oil farmers onto the streets in protest this year, calling for aid and new measures to reverse the trend. But extreme weather caused by climate change is likely to further damage the sector and could force Italians to look abroad for olive oil, according to Riccardo Valentini, director of the Impacts Division at the Euro-Mediterranean Center for Climate Change. Further information on EMWIS website

20- The equivalent of an impressive 115 million bottles of mineral water (of the standard two-litre variety) gets pumped up from just four Maltese boreholes each year, statistics from the Energy and Water Agency show. Each borehole is pumping over 50,000 cubic metres annually, three of which were in excess of 60,000 m3. The four boreholes account for a minimum of 9% of all groundwater extracted by metered boreholes, but in Malta, users are still not expected to pay for extraction of water from the national water table. Altogether, there were 245 commercial boreholes in operation in 2018, water extraction decreased from 644,893 m3 in 2017 to 527,294 m3. But another 2,873 boreholes used for agricultural purposes saw extraction increase from 1.44 million m3 in 2017, to 2.06 million m3 in 2018. Globally, it means metered groundwater extraction increased by 24% from 2.1 million m3 in 2017 to 2.6 million m3 in 2018. Further information on EMWIS website

21-EU Ambassador Christina Lassen in Lebanon met separately with Minister of Environment Fadi Jreissati and Minister of Energy and Water Nada Boustani, wishing them success in their new appointments. The meetings were the opportunity to discuss the ministers' respective plans and to raise a cross-cutting issue, climate change, which has serious implications on Lebanon's economy and its people. The European Union is leading on climate action worldwide, engaging with various partners to address this common challenge, and advocating for a green transition that goes hand in hand with job creation, food security, public health and sustainable growth. Further information on  EMWIS website

22- A corner of southern Spain with a sunny desert climate sent about 314,000 tons of fresh fruit and vegetables last year to the United Kingdom, where shoppers are willing to pay more to have out-of-season produce on their tables. Tomatoes, zucchini, watermelons, cucumbers and lettuce flourish in Spain’s southeastern Almeria province when northern Europe still faces weeks or months of winter shivers. It is a business worth millions of euros every year to Spanish farmers, and Britain’s impending departure from the European Union could snatch a lot of it away. By throwing up borders with the 27 countries remaining in the EU, Brexit could bring long waits for trucks at customs posts while their loads wither or rot. The prospect of U.K. import tariffs and volatile exchange rates also is setting off alarms among farmers, workers and officials on the Mediterranean coast. Further information on EMWIS website

23- The government of Morocco is set to receive US $34.6m grant from Germany to support sustainable development. The signing of the arrangements which took place between Morocco’s Minister of Economy and Finance Mohamed Benchaaboun and the German ambassador to Morocco, Goetz Schmidt-Bremme intends to support renewable and electric energy, water supply, and desalination of seawater. Further information on EMWIS website

24- On 27 February 2019 , Tunisian Prime Minister Youssef Chahed  made a trip to the northern governorate of Manouba. He visited the Ghedir El Kolla complex for the commissioning of two new projects in the water sector. The first project  is  a water treatment plant designed to purify 100,000 m3 of water every day for the people of Grand Tunis, and the second project is a sludge treatment plant with a capacity of 1 million m3 per day. The Tunisian Prime Minister presents the latter project as “a pioneer in the field of sludge treatment , since it is equipped by modern technologies, and it will valorize resources in efficient way”. Further information on EMWIS website

25- A new methodology for allocating water resources for irrigation has just been implemented  by the Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries in Tunisia. It consists of replacing the annual management plan by a multi-year management plan covering a period of 7 years, to distribute the surpluses of rainy years over dry years, thus ensuring constant allocations to farmers. During a national workshop held on February 25, Samir Taieb Minister of Agriculture Water Resources and Fisheries also reported that the agricultural department has  started preparing the launch of the 2050 Water Strategy Study which is expected in March 2019. This study will prepare the long-term vision of the water sector in Tunisia.  Further information on EMWIS website

26- National water debate in France: François de Rugy Minister of Ecological and Solidarity Transition, Didier Guillaume Minister of Agriculture and Food and Emmanuelle Wargon, State Secretary to the Minister of Ecological and Solidarity Transition, gathered on February 12 for the second time, the steering committee of the "Assises of water". Announced in November 2017 by the President of the Republic, the Assises of water is a consultative body for local elected representatives, water stakeholders at national and local levels through basin committees. These sessions are organized around two sequences: The first one, which took place from April to August 2018, focused on the issues of water supply and sanitation networks and resulted in 17 measures to boost investment in water and sanitation networks. The second one, launched in November 2018, aims to help territories become more resilient to climate change by addressing qualitative and quantitative aspects of water resources management. This steering committee was the opportunity to install 4 working groups, around 3 essential themes for water management: SAVE (piloted by Mr. Hervé Paul), PROTECT (led by Ms. Célia Blauel), SHARE (co-led by Luc Servant and Florence Denier-Pasquier). A cross-cutting working group will also address nature-based solutions. It will be chaired by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Further information on EMWIS website

27- The closing event of the institutional twinning on Integrated Water Resources Management took place in Algiers on 9 February 2019. This two-year Twinning started in February 2017 and is part of the support programme to the implementation of the partnership agreement between the European Union (EU) and Algeria (P3A). The main beneficiary was the National Agency of Integrated Water Resources Management (AGIRE) that received support from Belgium and French experts on a wide range of issues such as: aquifer contracts, information systems, metering,  communication strategy. Further information on EMWIS website

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NOMINATIONS and VACANCIES
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28- Pr. Mohamed Sadiki elected President of the CIHEAM Governing Board: He is, currently Secretary General of the Ministry of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development and Forests of the Kingdom of Morocco, he has been elected President of the CIHEAM Governing Board during the 141st Governing Board meeting of the Organisation. He will succeed Pr. Masum Burak at the end of his term as from 1 April 2019. Further information on EMWIS website

29- Alessio Satta has been oppointed the new MedWet Coordinator. Alessio holds a European Ph.D. on ‘’Climate Change Science and Management’’ from the Ca’ Foscari University of Venice. He brings to MedWet a wealth of experience of more than 15 years on issues related to climate change and sustainable development policies and governance, with more than ten years working on international development assistance to the Mediterranean countries. Further information on EMWIS website 

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PUBLICATIONS
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30- Water-Energy-Food Nexus Literature Review : This literature review provides an overview of key Nexus concepts and tools that can be applied in policy and practice. It aims to be a resource for professionals responsible for Nexus relevant decisions either in planning, financing or implementation. It aims to provide an overview of the literature covering the WEF Nexus topic, with a discussion on how the approach can be effectively implemented on the ground. The review also aims to summarise ongoing WEF Nexus initiatives and regional applications of the WEF Nexus in Southern Africa, the MENA Region, Central Asia, Latin America and the Niger Basin.In addition, this review provides a summary of recent research findings on key topics of relevance to the assessment of the Nexus and Nexus interventions. Direct links to the original documents and websites are provided, allowing the reader to access the original publications to learn more about the methods and tools of interest. Further information on EMWIS website

31- FAO report on the "linkages between migration, agriculture, food security and rural development":This report looks into the reasons why people migrate from rural areas. The main goal of this title is to deepen understanding of the relations that exist between agriculture, food security and rural development. Further information on EMWIS website

32- Enhanced wetland monitoring, assessment and indicators to support European and global environmental policy has just been released as the final policy report from EC funded H2020 SWOS project (Satellite Wetlands Observation Service) that was completed at the end of 2018. The  report  summarises  how  SWOS  can  ensure a better understanding of wetland ecosystems,  and  thereby  help  to  trigger  further policy developments by improving key elements for wetland management. Further information on SWOS website

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CALL FOR TENDERS AND PROPOSALS
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34- The Joint Monitoring Committee of  the programme ENI CBC MED has selected 7 out of the Programme 11 priorities for the call for strategic projects. The budget available is approximately €68 million. The call for strategic projects will be launched indicatively by the end of  March and will be supported by a series of information events in all participating countries.    The chosen priorities and related EU financial allocation are available here. Further information on EMWIS website

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CALL FOR PAPERS
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35- FMSH and UNIMED promoting the call for applications “Postdoctoral fellowships: South Mediterranean – France”. Under the umbrella of the partnership between the Fondation Maison des sciences de l’homme (FMSH)  and UNIMED it has been launched the call for the short-term Postdoctoral mobility Programme Atlas 2019. The Programme offers short-term Fellowships for young researchers native of Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Tunisia and Syria and affiliated to a University member of UNIMED, to realise a research stay of 3 months in France. The deadline to apply is the 17th March 2019. Further information on EMWIS website

36- Towards Circular Cities – Nature based solutions project partners  are looking for papers to be submitted from the following areas: Built Environment/ Sustainable Urban Water Utilisation/ Resource Recovery/ Urban Farming/ Transformation Tools. The selected articles will published in the Journal Blue-Green Systems by IWA Publishing. Deadline for paper submission: 1 June 2019. Further information on  EMWIS website

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TRAINING
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- 25-26 March 2019,  a two-day intensive course on solar driven desalination and water purification Gathering the water and renewable energy communities, Algiers, Algeria.  Further information on   EMWIS website

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Events
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