EMWIS Flash 163 October-November 2022

2- An official UNFCC session on "Finance for Climate Resilience in the Mediterranean and Africa: Water-wise Adaptation" was orgnised during the COP27 in Sharm el (EG) on 17 November, with an opening from the Nizar Baraka, Minister of Equipment and Water of the Kingdom of Morocco and closing by Ambassador Almotaz Abadi from the Union for the Mediterranean. Some additional sessions are worth mentioning of the interest of the Mediterranean water community: Nature-based solutions for Water and Climate Security; Groundwater for adaptation : challenges and solutions; Water and Adaptation to Climate Change: Spain’s Challenges; and events held on Water & Climate Pavilion. Recordings of the sessions are available on INBO website.

3- The 10th Technical Working Group Meeting of the Water Strategy in the Western Mediterranean 5+5, took place on 22nd September 2022 in Valencia, at the headquarters of the Jucar River Basin Authority. The meeting was organised back-to-back with the holding of two other events, which together conformed the so-called “Mediterranean Water Week”: i)- IME Symposium: Mediterranean Water Institute Symposium, Water Challenges and Regional priorities for 2050, on the occasion of the IME’s 40th Anniversary; ii) MASAR-Water Seminar: AECID´s MASAR Water seminar devoted to discussing the Integration of non-conventional resources in a context of climate change in the Mediterranean area; iii) 5+5 WSWM Meeting: 10th Expert Working Group meeting of the Water Strategy in the Western Mediterranean 5+5, to discuss and agree on a Capacity Development Programme within its Action Plan. Further information on EMWIS website

4- On 19 September 2022 – Two UfM Water Task Forces, namely "Water Access, Sanitation & Hygiene" (WASH), and "Water Climate Change Actions" (WCCA), took place during the IME’s Regional Symposium “Our Mediterranean: water challenges and regional priorities for 2050” on 19-20 September 2022 under a hybrid format from Valencia, Spain. Bringing together country representatives and regional stakeholders of the UfM region. Both meetings came as a result of the continuous endeavours of the UfM towards its Member states to help them bringing about decisive actions to meet their environmental challenges and tackle climate change in the Mediterranean. Moreover, they came following the UfM member states ‘request at the last meeting of the UfM Water Expert Group (WEG12), held in Amman in May 23-24, 2022, who expressed the need to re-launch the work of the WEG Task Forces, updating their action plans while looking for ways to increase their efficiency and their impact.  Holding these two Task Forces together and linking between them had the objective to highlight the importance of considering the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene infrastructures as a solution to tackle and mitigate the climate change impacts. After the welcoming remarks from the Deputy Secretary General in charge of Water, Environment and Blue Economy,  Almotaz Abadi, the first segment of the meeting, which was dedicated to the WASH task force, brought together the leading countries of this task force (Egypt and Malta) who highlighted the paramount importance of WASH in the region. They also suggested to convey a technical working group to develop the material of the WASH strategy at a technical level to ensure addressing the needs of people when it comes to access fresh water and sanitation in the Mediterranean region. This segment marked the presence of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) representative, Agmad Elmahdi, who gave an overview about the GCF-Water Finance tools and approaches among which treating water as a new asset class for water reuse and sanitation infrastructures. Further information on EMWIS website

5- In the context of the 2022 Spanish co-presidency of the 5+5 Dialogue, the European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed) and the Portuguese Institute of International Relations (IPRI) organised on 7-8 November a thematic seminar in the framework of the MedThink 5+5 network entitled “Tapping the potential of Sustainable Blue Economy in the Western Mediterranean: Policies and Practices to Accelerate the Sustainable Transformation”. With the collaboration of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, this event provided a space to discuss the prospects and challenges of accelerating the transition of the blue economy towards more sustainability while enabling Western Mediterranean countries to fully tap its potential as a driver of economic development and prosperity. Further information on EMWIS website

6- This “Global Workshop on Water, Agriculture and Climate Change” was organized under the auspices of the Water Convention serviced by UNECE, under the leadership of the Netherlands and Switzerland, in cooperation with the Adaptation Fund, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Network of Basin Organizations (INBO) and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI). It intended to discuss the challenges and solutions to achieve IWRM and in particular the water and agriculture nexus in a context of climate change. By 2050 some 60 percent more food - up to 100 percent in developing countries - is expected to be needed in order to feed the world while agriculture will continue to be the largest user of water globally, accounting in many countries for around two-thirds or more of supplies drawn from rivers, lakes and aquifers. This has important implications for the adaptation of water systems at the watershed and basin levels, both in terms of water allocation between agriculture and other water uses and of environmental externalities. Next to that, adaptation of agricultural practices are needed to account for the reduced water availability. Understanding intersectoral impacts opens crucial opportunities for cooperation benefits that transboundary water cooperation can leverage. The workshop brought together 170 participants representing the water and agriculture communities as well as climate change experts to jointly discuss best practices and lessons learned in addressing water scarcity and water quality through improving climate adaptation and equitable and sustainable water allocation on the national and transboundary levels. Take away messages from the workshop constituted discussion material at dedicated sessions/side events organised during the upcoming COP 27 in Egypt. The workshop was followed by the thirteenth meeting of the Task Force on Water and Climate under the Water Convention on 19 October 2022, which reviewed all climate change activities as well as plans for the future under the Convention. Further information on RIOB website

7- The EU-UfM High Level Conference on Water Finance and Investment took place on 17 and October to elaborate a high-level action plan. The conference was jointly organised by UfM and EU in partnership with the Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, and financially supported by the Swedish Cooperation Agency Sida, in the framework of the Cairo Water Week. The conference brought together 50 speakers, including the water ministers from Egypt, Lebanon and Palestine, the Secretary General of the Jordanian water ministry, the directors-general for water from Slovenia, Spain, and Türkiye, the Special Envoy for Water from the Netherlands, and the top FAO official for the Near East and North Africa are attending the conference. They were joined by government and EU officials from several UfM member states and experts from four regional water networks (AWEN, GWP-Med, IME, INWRDAM), four international financial institutions (AFD, EBRD, EIB, IFC), EurEau, OECD, SIWI, Water Aid, and the Union of Arab Banks. The results  of the conference were formulated as the Cairo water agenda that contains 7 groups of actions.  Further information on EMWIS website

8- A unique initiative in Europe, the 5th edition of the Mediterranean of the future event will be held in Marseille on 6 December 2022. Organised by the French Region Sud (PACA), it will bring together local authorities as well as major public and financing institutions, intellectuals, NGOs and high-level political figures, around themes of soulutions for sustainable future. After the climate, youth and investment on both sides of the Mediterranean, and the three centuries of pandemics, this year's theme is the Mediterranean of resources, food sovereignty and energy security. During the event the  new financial tool that aims to raise one billion euros for projects with a positive impact on the climate and biodiversity in the Mediterranean ' The Pliff' will be launched. Further information on EMWIS website

9- The LiFE ReWa project aims to set up mobile production units of recycled water (RW) originating from different wastewater plants and to use this RW as a new resource with multiple uses, adapted to local and seasonal needs. A pilot mobile recycling unit will be built to extend the level of wastewater treatment of five existing waste water treatment plants in Montpellier (France). The unit will produce water with four levels of quality that will be stored for a range of uses: cleaning of sewage networks; street cleaning; irrigation including urban green spaces; firefighting; and industrial use such as the maintenance of waste water treatment plants. The project will contribute to EU policies & strategies e.g. the 8th action programme for the environment, along with the Water Framework Directive, the European Green Deal, the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and the new circular economy action plan. As the Metropole of Montpellier has chosen to transfer its public sanitation service to a public water utility company, the decision was naturally taken to transfer the coordination of the project to the Régie des Eaux, which  become the coordinating beneficiary of the project as of 1 November 2022. The Metropolis of Montpellier, the DV2E consultancy firm and the University of Montpellier (European Membrane Institute) remain the associated beneficiaries. Further information on EMWIS website 

10- The MEDiterranean pathWAY for innovation CAPitalisation urban-rural integrated development of non-conventional water resources project "MEDWAYCAP"  is an ENI CBC MED capitalization project. The main objective of MEDWAYCAP is to contribute to mitigating the local water crisis, a common challenge in the Mediterranean, by promoting innovative solutions and effective practices related to non-conventional water resources management. Therefore, the project is developing  a platform, a web based business intelligence solution, that serve to inform and disseminate the implemented innovative solutions and practices in the Med region and elsewhere.  Thus the project team seeks to identify  implemented good practices and innovative solutions;  In order to share your best practice or  solution you have to fill in  an inventory form.   Further information on EMWIS website

11- On September 10th, EdiCitNet partner SEMIDE participated in the urban agriculture festival organised by the City of Nice, France on the occasion of Saint-Bertoumiéu. This event brought together more than 60 exhibitors such as associations, companies and shopkeepers to promote urban agriculture and local production. This was an opportunity to present the EdiCitNet Project, its functioning, its objectives and the application carried out in Nice in cooperation with the community gardens during the round table organised on adaptation to climate change. In addition,  on 25 November the results of EdiCitNet toolbox application to Nice were presented to the 13 community gardens of the city and the Deputy Mayor in charge of urban agriculture and neighbourhood activities. EdiCitNet activities in the city of Nice will be pursued during 2023. More information about  EdiCitNet  key findings and results could be found in the project  handbooks and guidelines available on EdiCitNet website

12- The Common International Conference on “Integrated Groundwater Management of Mediterranean Coastal Aquifers” of the Sustain-COAST and MEDSAL PRIMA Projects has been held in Chania (Crete Island, Greece) from 27th to 30th September 2022. The official authorities of Chania city and Mr Marco Orlando, the PRIMA Project Officer, greeted the attendees and opened the conference proceedings. The coordinators, Prof. Dr George Karatzas (Sustain-COAST) and Dr Evangelos Tziritis (MEDSAL), presented the two projects to the audience. The conference included eight technical sessions and thirty-one presentations, covering a broad spectrum of topics related to coastal aquifers.  A Book of abstracts was published following the conference and available for  download here. further information in Sustain-COAST website

13- On the 19th to 20th October 2022, the first field demonstration was organised by the Fire and Rescue Department of North Corsica (SIS2B) and held at their offices in the municipalities of Furiani and Biguglia gathering almost 40 participants. The participants represented diverse profiles including firefighters, local authorities and students specializing in risk management. During the event, SAFERS first version of the platform and the intelligent services were illustrated and tested through an in-field demo to show their use throughout the emergency management cycle; in prevention, preparedness, detection, response as well as restoration & adaptation. Open discussions and structured feedback sessions were also organized to gather recommendations aimed at further improving the platform. After the termination of this first field demonstration, three similar workshops will be organised with an advanced version of the platform in Italy, Spain and Greece in the coming months. Further information can also be found on SAFERS website.

14- Organised by HYDROUSA project, the Water Innovation and Circularity Conference (WICC) will take place in Athens, Greece from 7 to 9 June 2023. The WICC will bring together researchers, engineers, water practitioners from academia, industry, water utilities, public authorities and administration to exchange know-how and experiences. Knowledge and expertise will be disseminated on innovative systems, technologies and processes which can be applied for the management of water and wastewater. The water supply chain is considered from water abstraction to treated wastewater disposal and reuse. Furthermore, resource-oriented sanitation as a route to sustainable and ecologically sound sanitation will be discussed focusing on developing countries. The conference will cover a wide range of themes from innovative and nature-based solutions for water and wastewater management to circularity assessment tools and environmental policy and legislation. Further information on the event is available on the conference website.

15- On 5, 6, and 7 September a joint PRIMA projects conference was held in Albacete in Spain under the title: SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION IN AGROECOSYSTEMS WITH WATER SCARCITY (SUPWAS). The conference was organized by SUPROMED, MEDWATRICE, and PRECIMED projects and was hosted by the University of Castilla La Mancha- the Regional Centre of Water Research. The conference gathered more than 200 persons from all over the world in Albacete and 100 participants online. The event represented a forum for meeting and reflection between farmers, technicians and researchers, within the process of demonstration and transfer of research results to the productive sector under the scenario of decreasing water availability and increasing energy costs. Thus, contributing to the social, economic, and environmental sustainability of water and energy use in agroecosystems located in arid and semi-arid areas to cope with climate change. The conference was organized around 5 topics:  Climate Variability and Change: Impacts – Mitigation –Adaptation- Water, energy, and nutrient management in irrigation./ Techno-economic, social and environmental indicators/ Natural resources conservation./Advanced technologies and precision agriculture. /Social acceptance./ Land use planning. Also, a special session was dedicated to presenting the FAO-56 manual update by: R. Allen, L. Santos Pereira, P. Paredes, and R. Lopez-Urrea.  The Conference was held simultaneously face-to-face and online with simultaneous translation was used in English- Spanish and with subtitles in French, Italian, Portuguese… to achieve greater participation in the dissemination and transfer of research results. All the conference presentations and papers are available here. Further information on SUPROMED website

16- The Circular City (COST Action17133) team organised a joint event with the Coast to Coast Climate Challenge, 18-19 September. Before the workshop, the team was on a technical tour in Central Denmark Region, visiting KlimaByen Middelfart, VIA University College, Årslev Engsø, Klimatorium – Danmarks internationale klimacenter, LeMur, Krylen, Sønæs Park and Friland. During the final workshop multiple posters of the Circular City participants were presented which can be downloaded from here. Further information can be found on Circular City website.

17- Les petits ruisseaux, tour de France of solutions that rely on nature to better manage water, is a podcast in 9 episodes.  It consists of meetings with those who have carried out concrete actions, ranging from one-off actions on an individual scale to large-scale projects carried out on a whole territory. Available only in French, on different platforms: Deezer, Spotify, Apple podcast, Amazon music, Google Podcasts; Les petits ruisseaux is a project led by the International Office for Water, with the financial support of the French Office for Biodiversity. It aims to propose testimonies on local solutions inspired by nature, by persons with various profiles, with different jobs, various geographical locations and projects of different scales, in order to allow the audience to identify contexts similar to their own situation and thus, motive them to get involved, whether in their professional or personal life. Motivations, learning, feelings as their project progresses: it's a total immersion with those who are committed to a more sustainable future!. Further information on Oieau website

18- Italian authorities announced that 3.9 billion euros would be spent to improve water infrastructure and reduce leaks in cities and agricultural areas. The goal of the European Union-supported plan is to increase the country’s resilience to the effects of climate change. The Italian government’s water infrastructure strategy is a long-term plan to strengthen water security. Officials said sustainability, climate change mitigation and adaptation are crucial for approving new infrastructure projects. Of those funds, 2.9 billion euros will come from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, which is deployed as part of the European Union’s NextGenerationEU strategy. The rest is financed by Rome. Further information on EMWIS website

19- Spain's water reserves have dropped to their lowest level since 1995, according to data released last September by the Spanish Environment Ministry. After dry summer of record-breaking heat, the country's reservoirs are filled to just 35% of their capacity, and several areas are suffering from a prolonged drought. The South of the country is particularly parched, with the critical Guadalquivir basin that serves much of Andalusia down to just 21% of its capacity. The lack of rain is also taking a toll on the economy. As rivers run dry, Spain's much-needed hydroelectricity generation has plummeted 34% below the historical average per week. Meanwhile, the association Asaja estimates that the lack of rains could contribute to losses of around  8 billion  euros in the agricultural sector. Hard-hit crops include high earners like olives, wine, almonds, and sunflowers. In 2021, Andalusia produced 1.1 million tons of olive oil, but this year the figure is forecast to drop to as low as 500,000 tons. But some ecologists say Spain needs to put more limits on the agricultural sector to remedy the worrying situation. Further information on EMWIS website

20- The winners of the 2022 edition of the Hackathon Water Show are known since October 14, 2022. They are 10 Moroccan start-ups rewarded for their projects related to water preservation in the Marrakech-Safi region of Morocco. According to Emerging Business Factory (EBF), one of the organizers of the annual competition, the current water deficit in this region of the kingdom is about 564 million m3 per year, leading to an imbalance between supply and demand. Emerging Business Factory supports this initiative with the Regional Investment Center of Marrakech-Safi and the Near East Foundation. The winners of the first edition of the Hackathon, which focuses on innovation for water conservation, will share a start-up grant of 500,000 Moroccan dirhams (about 46,500 euros) as part of an acceleration program, as well as additional funding from the Hackathon partners. Further information on EMWIS website 

21- French groundwater is increasingly used for drinking water, agriculture, industry and leisure activities, to the point where the situation becomes critical in some provinces (French departments) during summer with water use restrictions decided by the authorities (73 departments concerned in August 2020).  Solutions exist to maintain the fragile balance between our needs and the variations of natural water availability in the context of climate change.  Among these solutions is the controlled recharge of aquifers. This technique was developed in the 1960s in France, but is only currently used on about twenty sites. A map of artificial recharge sites worldwide is available here. Further information on EMWIS website

22- A training program on water resources management will be launched soon in Egypt. The initiative, which involves technicians from the Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, will be implemented with funding from Italy. The grant of 2.3 million euros will help build the capacity of Egyptian experts in an integrated approach to water resources management, at a time when the country of the pharaohs is seeing its water reserves diminish drastically due to drought. The objective is to increase the efficiency of practitioners in the field. The Regional Training Center of the Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation and the CIHEAM Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Bari will implement the training program. A module of the program will be mainly dedicated to the sharing of experience and knowledge between Egyptian and Italian experts, especially on water management techniques. Italy is currently experiencing one of the worst droughts in its history with 40% of its agricultural production devastated in the north. Further information on EMWIS website