Abstract

The Mediterranean region is characterized by increasing pressures over its natural resources and significant disparities among countries (UNEP/MAP, 2016). The region is considered as one of the most water scarce regions in the World with an average water availability below 1000m3 per capita for most of the countries located in the Southern and Eastern rims of the Mediterranean, and even below 500m3 in many of them (e.g. Algeria, Libya, Tunisia or Jordan). Growing population, irrigation expansion and urbanization are increasing pressures on water resources quantity and quality that will be likely exacerbated by political instability and climate change, reducing available water resources per capita and affecting socio-economic and environmental conditions. In light of this, a number of international initiatives are being developed to ensure sustainable development in the region and contribute to a sustainable management and use of water resources. In this context, the MADFORWATER project tries to address different water resources management issues that include the low availability and use of locally-adapted technologies for wastewater treatment and reuse for irrigation; a lack or inefficiency of economic and regulatory instruments to foster water saving irrigation technologies and practices and water reuse in agriculture; limited capacity building and social acceptance of treated wastewater reuse in agriculture; and, in essence, insufficiently integrated water management strategies. To respond to these challenges, the MADFORWATER project general objective is “to develop an integrated set of technological and management instruments for the enhancement of wastewater treatment, treated wastewater reuse for irrigation and water efficiency in agriculture, with the final aim to reduce water vulnerability in selected basins in Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia” (MADFORWATER Document of Action – part B – page 1).The selected basins, chosen due to their relevance and representativeness for the Mediterranean region in relation to population, GDP, wastewater, hydrology and geographical location, are all subjected to exacerbating water scarcity, and count on high potential to increase wastewater reuse (currently 7% used), (MADFORWATER Document of Action – part B – page 1). This Deliverable (D1.1) “Report on needs and priorities in the field of international cooperation agreements on water management in the target Mediterranean African Countries (MACs)” is part of Work Package 1 (WP1) “Water and water-related vulnerabilities in Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia”. The main objective of this work package is to analyze water stress and water vulnerability in the three MACs, paying special attention to wastewater treatment, water reuse and water efficiency in agriculture and the impacts on food security, socio-economic growth, sustainability of agriculture and environmental protection. For this, D1.1 aims to provide a revision of the water related goals within the international agreements joined by the three case study countries, while emphasizing the critical points that should be developed and reinforced in the near future through an integrated approach for water policies, initiatives and management. It also sets a reference framework and knowledge base for different activities in the MADFORWATER project.