EMWIS Flash N°116 - February/ March 2014

EMWIS Flash - February / March 2014 Euro-Mediterranean Information System on the know-how in the Water Sector EMWIS is a program of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership. For further information: www.emwis.net & check our page at facebook Monthly Flash produced by the EMWIS Technical Unit- OIEAU, CEDEX, CHJ Mediterranean Water Information Mechanism / Geo-Catalogue / UfM-Water / AquaForMED / PAWA / demEAUmed / RKNOW

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In this issue N°116 (www.emwis.net/thematicdirs/eflash/flash116)
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HEADLINE
1- Working towards a Mediterranean knowledge platform on water
IN BRIEF
2- 5+5 Water Strategy for the Western Mediterranean: 1st workshop
3- Review process of the Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development
4- Mediterranean Days on Water Information Systems, Rabat (Morocco), 19-21/03/2014
5- World Water Council selects Brasilia for 8th World Water Forum in 2018
6- Water innovation in action: €50 million for new research projects

7- Demonstrating integrated innovative technologies for an optimal and safe closed water cycle in Mediterranean tourist facilities
8- Kick-off meeting of the 2013 Water accounts Pilot projects in Europe, Brussels, 05/02/2014
9- ZINNAE, Urban Cluster for the efficient use of water
10- Natural Water Retention Measures (NWRM) project: 1st Mediterranean Workshop successfully held
11- BeWater Kick-Off Meeting: the active participation of society in water adaptation to global change
12- Near East & North Africa countries pledge enhanced cooperation on water management, food waste and building more resilient rural communities
13- The MedPartnership project commits to replicate good practices and work in synergy
14- MEDediterranean Agricultural Markets Information Network (MED-AMIN): A new initiative for the Mediterranean
15- France : Government launches an experiment for a social water tariff
16- France will release archived SPOT data to public
17- Spain: Ebro RBMP approved, despite conflicts between administrations
18- Jordan: EU project equips twenty farms with efficient irrigation systems

19- Nile Dispute and the Dilemma of National Approaches

20- Morocco’s water demand to reach 16.7 billion cubic meters in 2030
21- Tunisia: new EU project backs stronger environmental governance
22- Tunisia: municipal waste management plan (PCGD) of Sidi bou Saïd
23- Tunisia: The right to water officially recognized in the new constitution
24- Tunisia embeds climate change in constitution

25- Masdar Institute and ICBA to Collaborate on Agricultural and Water Scarcity Solutions
26- Water: nutrient and heavy metal pollution 'decoupling' from growth
27- African water and equatorial space weather focus of inaugural Alcantara workshop
28- Satellite Images: Detecting Vegetation Health through Fluorescence
29- Satellite technology to help fight Deforestation
30- Recycling/Reuse of Water for a Blue Growth Future

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- Following a specific request from Ministers during the Water Conference of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), held in Jordan in late 2008, the Secretariat will soon submit a projet for UfM labeling to the Senior Official Meeting. This regional project aims to improve water knowledge at the basis of governance processes, not only at national level, but also for shared water resources and more generally in the Mediterranean region as a whole. The project promoters, l’Institut Méditerranéen de l’Eau (IME) and the International Office for Water (IOWater/OIEau), organised a meeting on 10 March 2014 in the premises of the UfM Secretariat, in Barcelona, to discuss and finalise the modalities of the project, aiming to a Mediterranean Water Knowledge Platform as a prerequisite to the development of sustainable policies for integrated water resources management (IWRM) and climate change adaptation. The project directly contributes to facilitating the involvement of all water actors concerned in producing and sharing information about water within six pilot countries (Jordan, Lebanon, Monaco, Morocco, Spain and Tunisia), in order to improve the dialogue and planning process between them and make information available to all stakeholders. Regional activities are opened to all the UfM countries and new pilot countries could join the projects at a later stage. In addition, data infrastructure provided by the project is likely to generate the creation of added-valued services and thus contribute to sustainable growth in the Mediterranean countries and promote investment in the region.  EMWIS is participating at this meeting as it is contributing significantly to this project. Further information on EMWIS website.
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IN BRIEF (Full news)
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2- Algeria and Spain have decided to jointly promote a process, in association with the countries of the 5+5 Dialogue, to develop a water strategy for the western Mediterranean basin (WSWM). The aim of this strategy is to promote sustainable water use at local, regional and national levels, through the adoption of cross-cutting goals, management criteria and operational objectives, in order to harmonise water policies in the Mediterranean. Spain and Algeria are actively involved in the peaceful resolution of international conflicts and hope this strategy may constitute a tool of preventive diplomacy, contributing to maintaining international peace and security by facilitating international cooperation on water issues. In this context, a first high-level Workshop was held in Valencia (Spain) under the auspices of the General Secretariat of the Mediterranean Network of Basin Organisations (MENBO) on 25th-26th February 2014. EMWIS took part of this workshop as Observer. This development of the WSWM was approved at the Malta Summit held in October 2012 by the Heads of State and Government of the 5+5 Dialogue. Later on, the Foreign Ministers of the 5+5 countries agreed to work in conjunction with the European Union to develop this strategy in Nouakchott in April 2013. Furthermore, the initiative was announced during the 68th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York and officially launched at the first 5+5 Economic Forum held in Barcelona on 23rd October 2013.  The approach is purposefully pragmatic and its aim is to agree on a strategic framework and an action plan. To develop both, a first seminar was organized in Valencia, Spain on 25-26 February, that will be followed by another in Oran (Algeria). Further information on EMWIS website

3- The review process of the Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development (MSSD) was launched recently by the Maltese Minister for Sustainable Development, the Environment and Climate Change, the Hon Mr Leo Brincat, during a ceremony held in Malta. This follows a decision of the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention made during their recent 18th ordinary meeting in Istanbul (CoP18).  The aim of the review is to update the Strategy in the light of the Rio+20 outcomes and the decision to launch an intergovernmental process to develop global Sustainable Development Goals for consideration by the UN General Assembly. This will ensure that the region remains a frontrunner in the area of environmental and sustainability governance. The technical work supporting the review of the MSSD is being carried out by the UNEP/MAP through its Plan Bleu Regional Activity Centre, which specializes in observation, analysis and prospective scenario-building, and the other regional activity centres. A consultation document outlining key questions for the MSSD review will be issued in April, involving a wide circle of stakeholders to provide feedback. MCSD establishes seven interdependent priority fields of action and synergy in which it is essential to make real progress. These are water, energy, transport, tourism, agriculture, urban development; and Sea and coastal management. It identifies as well thirty-three indicators to enable monitoring progress in achieving its goals, with target dates ranging from 2010 to 2025. Further information on EMWIS website.

4- Obviously, water is the most vital natural resource for our own survival, thus preserving it is crucial. Achieving this objective requires more involvement from water users and those participating in the management of water resources by raising awareness and providing information about this resource. The key is the use of Water Information System (WIS). What is a WIS? What’s its composing? How can we implement it? What are the available technologies required for such a system? What are the existing experiences in this area? And what would be the opportunities and at the same time the limits of development? The answer to these questions and many more will be given and explained and discussed during the International Congress ”WIS Med’s Day” (Water Information System Med Day’s) to be held in Rabat (Morocco) the days 19-21 March 2014. It was an initiative of the Moroccan Association of Young Geometricians (MAYG) who organize it in partnership with other actors.  Several organisations and experts will participate, among others: the German Technical Cooperation (GIZ), a representative of the Moroccan Minister Delegate to the "Minister of Energy, Mining, Water and Environment, for Water"; the Euro-Mediterranean Information System on know-how in the Water sector (EMWIS), the National Office of Potable Water (ONEP), YES Network, Jordanian Ministry of Water & Irrigation. Further information on EMWIS website.

5- The World Water Council (WWC) has selected the city of Brasilia and the country of Brazil to welcome the 8th World Water Forum in 2018. The selection was made during the 51st board of governors meeting following a rigorous evaluation process of the candidates. The World Water Forum, the world's largest water event that aims to put water firmly on the global agenda, gathers international organizations, political leaders, parliamentarians and mayors, representatives of civil society, water professionals and scientists together every three years. “Beyond Brazilian outstanding commitment to water issues and its visionary theme of ‘Sharing Water’, the proposal calls on all stakeholders and partners to ensure continuity with previous editions of the World Water Forum and the full involvement of the World Water Council Governors in the definition of the Forum”, said the President of the World Water Council, Benedito Braga, who also expressed his wish for continuous and solid collaboration with Copenhagen and Denmark. According to the WWC press release, the vote remains "conditional" upon the signature of an agreement between the World Water Council and the hosts of the 8th Forum so as to specify the terms of their agreement. Further information on EMWIS website.

6- 11 resource-efficiency research projects will receive a total of €50 million in EU funding, among them 3 projects in which EMWIS is contributing as partner (demEAUmed, SAID & WEAM4i): DemEAUmed (Demonstrating Integrated Innovative Technologies for an Optimal and Safe Closed Water Cycle in Mediterranean Tourist Facilities, EU budget contribution: 4.1M€ ): DemEAUmed aims to involve industry representatives, stakeholders, policy-makers and diverse technical and scientific experts in demonstrating and promoting innovative technologies for an optimal and safe closed water cycle in Euro-Mediterranean tourist facilities, leading to their eventual market uptake. Reduction of fresh water consumption in hotel installations, green and recreational areas, etc. will be achieved by using alternative water sources, such as treated groundwater, treated rainwater or the reuse of treated grey waters and/or wastewaters, coordinated by Leitat & ICRA (Spain). SAID (SmArt Water Management with Integrated Decision Support Systems, EU budget contribution: 2.2 M€,): The need for providing high quality water to citizens and to reduce damages produced by floods and droughts has motivated research and development of many software-based decision support systems (DSSs). However, despite the notable technical advances, most of the water infrastructures in Europe are still managed by expert operators based on traditional best practices but with little support from these new smart tools. The objective of the SAID project is to include the final users and the SMEs in order improve the production and deployment of more smart water management systems in Europe; coordinated by Abeinsa Business Development S.A., Sevilla (Spain), and WEAM4i (Water and Energy Advanced Management for Irrigation, EU budget contribution: 5.2 M€): Agriculture accounts on average for 30% of total water consumption in Europe, and as high as 70% in several Southern European countries. In recent years, most efforts to reduce consumption have focused on water efficiency without paying attention to energy, resulting, in some cases, in a significant increase in energy consumption, both per irrigated surface and per volume unit of water. WEAM4i wants to help reduce energy consumption by developing a water and energy smart grid for irrigation and a decision-support system ICT platform, coordinated by Meteosim S.L. & ADASA Sistemas, Barcelona (Spain). Further information on EMWIS website.

7- On the 20th and 21st of February, the official launch of the European project demEUAmed took place at LEITAT, in Terrassa, Spain. DemEAUmed is coordinated by WssTP’s member, LEITAT and the scientific coordination is assured by ICRA, and counts the participation of 15 institutions from 7 different countries, among them EMWIS.  The integration of several innovative technologies will be demonstrated in a touristic resort located in Catalonia, Spain, where a representative part of all inlet and outlet waters will be characterised, treated with proper innovative processes, and reused to reduce the carbon footprint of water management. Reduction of fresh water consumption in hotel installations, green and recreational areas will be achieved by using alternative water sources, such as treated groundwater, treated rainwater or the reuse of treated grey waters and/or wastewaters within the resort. All possibilities will be considered for the resort as a whole, taking into account the specific quality/quantity requirements of water at the different areas of the site, as well as current/future compliance with water regulations. The incorporation of advanced monitoring and control systems and a decision support tool will ultimately define the best water management solutions. An exhaustive environmental and socio-economic assessment will also be conducted. Further information on EMWIS website

8- A Kick-off meeting of the 2013 Halting Desertification in Europe Pilot projects took place last February 5th in Brussels. It was organized by the EC DG Environment. It was an occasion to present the work on water accounts at EU level, the lessons learnt from the 2011 pilot projects (Guadiana River Basin 'GuaSEEAW', Jucar River Basin 'Halt-Jucar-Des' & Assessment of water balances and optimization based target setting across EU River Basins 'ABOT'). Seven new projects have been presented. EMWIS participated in the previous programme through the project: Halting desertification in the Jucar River Basin 'Halt-Jucar-Des' in partnership with the Spanish Consulting firm EVREN S.A. and this year EMWIS is participating in the project: Pilot Arno Water accounts - PAWA, in partnership with the Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA) and the Arno River Basin Agency (ARBA). This pilot initiative is presented to halt desertification in the Arno River Basin (Italy), an area which already presents water scarcity and droughts, extensive water withdrawals and land use changes, with a situation expected to worsen in the future due to global climate changes. It is important to mention that the Arno River Basin has a significant experience as pilot RB for water scarcity and drought at EU level with the definition of hydrological balances and minimal environmental flows. Under the coordination of ISPRA, Arno e Po river basins played an active role in the definition of WEI+ exercise carried out in the last WFD CIS programming period in the frame of the Water Scarcity and Drought Expert Group activities.  Further information on EMWIS website.

9- ZINNAE was set up with the purpose of consolidating the city of Zaragoza in Spain as a setting for knowledge, demonstrating and experimenting with the efficient use of water, enabling companies to be more innovative, therefore, more competitive. ZINNAE is seeking to bring together the main economical agents (companies the main research and training centers as well as all the local public administrations) that are linked with an efficient use of water in the city of Zaragoza. ZINNAE is the acronym for "Saragossa Innovates in Water and Energy". Further information on EMWIS website.

10- In the framework of the Natural Water Retention Measures (NWRM) project, experts and practitioners from the Mediterranean in a wide sense (Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Malta, Greece, Cyprus, Croatia and Turkey as a candidate country) participated in the first Mediterranean regional workshop that took place in Alcalá de Henares (Madrid) on January 28th and 29th, 2014.  The workshop emphasised on the challenges and priorities for NWRM to deliver the objectives of the WFD and the Floods Directive, as well as other relevant EU policy initiatives. The meeting was organised around different ‘thematic’ areas in which NWRM were grouped (agriculture, forestry, SUDS, and more complex projects including different NWRM, such as river or wetland restoration) and for each of them biophysical impacts, socio-economic variables and governance and institutional concerns were considered. Several applications of NWRM were also presented such as river restoration projects, green cover crops, wetland restoration, groundwater recharge, SUDS (stormwater drainage schemes; flood control projects; attenuation ponds; storm water lagoons; use of permeable materials; etc.), afforestation, etc. The applications presented also covered most of the countries represented in the meeting: Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Spain, and Portugal. Further information on EMWIS website

11- More than 30 participants from around Europe gathered in Barcelona, Spain, for the first meeting of a new European project which will involve the active participation of society in water adaptation to global change. The stage for collaboration over the coming three and a half years was set at the BeWater project’s Kick-off Meeting, held on 13 – 15 January. In line with the approach of the project, participatory techniques were used in the meeting in order to define working methods, agree a common language and identify the challenges involved in implementing this complex project effectively. A field trip to the Case Study River Basin in La Tordera, which has its headwaters within the Montseny Natural Park, allowed partners to see and to hear first hand from local stakeholders the challenges involved in water management practices in the area. The BeWater project will be active in 4 Case Study River Basins in Catalonia, Cyprus, Slovenia and Tunisia. It will engage a wide group of stakeholders in an iterative process of mutual learning between society and science, with the aim of building societal resilience to the impacts of global change in the Mediterranean. Projections for the Euro-Mediterranean region estimate an increase in water scarcity and droughts in the region, causing substantial socioeconomic losses and environmental impacts. The combination of improved awareness, mutual learning processes and shared responsibility of the civil society and stakeholders are essential to ensure successful adaptation strategies and their implementation. Using a bottom-up approach, BeWater will identify sustainable and adaptive management options at river basin scale, to be developed into adaptation plans which, it is hoped, will ultimately lead to effective adaptation policies, whilst raising awareness about the challenges of water management and water use among local populations. Further information on EMWIS website

12- Governments from the Near East and North Africa wrapped up last February 28th a five day meeting on regional food security challenges pledging enhanced cooperation to tackle the critical issues of water management, food waste and building more resilient rural communities. In a final report, the 32nd FAO regional conference endorsed three key proposals tabled during the talks. The first is a regional strategy framework to bring countries together to improve food security and nutrition.  The framework endorsed calls on governments to work together to  address lagging productivity growth through increased investment in research and development; improvements to supply chain efficiencies that will reduce exposure to market volatility and other shocks; and strengthened safety nets and nutrition education programs. The creation of strategic regional cereal reserves to help offset spikes in commodity prices is another tool considered by the framework.  The conference asked FAO to focus its efforts on helping countries address three priority issues: water scarcity, building resilience for enhanced food security and nutrition, and supporting small-scale agriculture. The Organization's budget allocation for activities in the Near East and North Africa for the 2014-2015 period amounts to $45.8 million, with estimated additional requirements of voluntary contributions totaling $95.5 million. Further information on EMWIS website

13- The MedPartnership Steering Committee concluded its fourth meeting held in Hammamet, Tunisia, from 17 to 20 February 2014, in the presence of country focal points, executing partners and donors. The meeting reviewed the activities implemented under the four components of the project throughout 2012-2013 highlighting challenges and lessons learnt. Participants acknowledged the high quality results achieved by the MedPartnership in its fourth year of implementation, adopted the 2014-2015 work plan and budget, including extension of the project until the end of 2015 and noted the need to create synergies among the various activities and initiatives under the ambitious 2014-2015 work plan, with a focus on Green Economy. Countries committed to provide regular updates on national activities and to ensure the dissemination of good practices and results throughout the region. Meanwhile, they emphasized the importance of replication of good practices within the MedPartnership and agreed on the inclusion of three replication proposals in the work plan, in Croatia, Lebanon, and Tunisia.  They highly recommended that efforts be made to fully integrate the results and data from relevant regional and national initiatives and institutions into the Mediterranean Integrated Climate Information Platform (MedICIP). Further information on EMWIS website

14- On the Occasion of their 10th meeting in Algeria recently, the ministers of agriculture of the 13 Member States of CIHEAM have officially ratified the creation of MED-AMIN (MEDediterranean Agricultural Markets Information Network), providing a great support for the development of this network as it is made clear in their final declaration. The new network aims at fostering cooperation and experience sharing among the national information systems on agricultural markets, following the request of the CIHEAM Member States' Ministers mada at their 9th meeting in Malta in September 2012. Further information on EMWIS website

15- The French government launched an experiment to promote access to water and to implement a social water pricing. Four ministers signed last March 5th, 2014 a governmental statement defining the procedure for volunteer candidates for this experiment under the law of 15 April 2013 implementing in particular social energy tariffs. The experiment allows local communities to get access to water with social tariffs. Volunteers must submit an application to the regional authority (Prefet de département) before December 31, 2014. The budget for water is about 1% of household income. However, for some households in a precarious situation, this expenditure can represent 3% of income or more. These differences are explained by income inequality, but also by differences in situations of services exploitation. The quality of water resources and treatment facilities is not the same throughout the territory. This project can be compared to the European Citizens' Initiative Right2Water aimed at recognizing the right to water at European level to ensure universal access to vital resources. Further information on EMWIS website

16- SPOT-4 satellite image of Democratic Republic of Kongo from 2011 showing levels of vegetation. The French government has announced to release free of charge satellite images from its Spot optical Earth Observation data archive as part of the country’s contribution to the Global Earth Observation system of Systems (GEOSS).The French Space Agency CNES has already begun processing a first PART of 100.000 images and will make them available later this year. The released images will be at least fives years old and with resolutions not higher than 10 meters. Further information on EMWIS website

17- Last February 28th, the Ebro River Basin Management Plan (RBMP) was approved, including strong "development elements" like 40 new dams and 500.000 new hectares of irrigated cropland, and "against" the votes of one of the key regions and competent authorities - the Catalonian Government. For those interested, see more info in Spanish at: La Vanguardia. Though the Government is on its way towards the approval of RBMPs, this seems to be at a high cost, and with immediate legal complaints. Further information on EMWIS website

18- The project, "Improving of Environmental Sustainability of Irrigated Agricultural Production in Lebanon and Jordan" (ENSIAP), a Mediterranean cross-border cooperation project funded by the EU has equipped 20 farms in Jordan with innovative irrigation systems that allow farmers to make significant savings in water, according to a press release from the project. The irrigation system allows for water savings thanks to the introduction of drip irrigation, as well as agricultural efficiency and soil conservation based on a fertilization process directly through the irrigation water (known as "fertigation"). A simple photovoltaic solution, which consists of a solar panel, will complete the system deployed by the project.  The project also devotes attention to institutional capacity and training of farmers. With a budget of almost €2 million, the ENSIAP project aims to reduce the environmental impact of irrigated agriculture on water resources and climate change in Lebanon and Jordan. Further information on EMWIS website

19- Amid deep political turmoil, there is a mounting concern in Egypt as Ethiopia forges ahead with its plan to build the $4.8 billion Grand Renaissance Dam on the Nile’s main tributary. The hydroelectric dam, to be Africa’s biggest, sounded the alarm bell for Egypt due to its possible impact on the flow of the river. After negotiations with Ethiopia and Sudan reached a dead-end, Egypt is now engaged in a diplomatic campaign aiming to halt European Support for the project.  The Egypt-Ethiopia dam row takes place in a context of water scarcity in the region offering a vivid example of the irrationality of national approaches to the use of water in shared rivers. The surge in population growth, the expansion of industrial and agricultural activity and the irregularity of rainfall are putting enormous pressure on the Nile riparian states to meet the increasing domestic demand on water. This, in turn, fuels inter-state competition and leads to unilateral measures creating a situation that feeds into the pessimist forecast of a looming war over water in Northeast Africa.Further information on EMWIS website

20- Water demand in Morocco will reach 16.7 billion cubic meters in 2030, compared to 13.7 billion presently, said delegate minister for water, Charafat Afailal, noting that this will pose difficulties in terms of water resources mobilization and preservation. The official, who was speaking during a conference on “women and scientific research”, held in the northern city of Tetouan, recalled that Morocco experienced over the last 35 years more than twenty drought periods with rainwater deficits exceeding 40% and a shortage of 60% of surface waters. The minister also cited water resources pollution, noting that 640 million cubic meters of used water are annually disposed of in nature and only 25% are treated, in addition to pollution caused by pesticides and industrial activities, soil erosion and dams silting which entail the loss of 70 million cubic meters a year. Better water management will spare every year 2.4 billion cubic meters, adopt micro-irrigation in 50,000 hectares and save 120 million cubic meters of drinking water, said the minister. Further information on EMWIS website.

21- The European Union has approved a €5 million project to support the efforts of the Tunisian authorities in the field of environmental governance in the region of Gabès. The project aims to increase public awareness regarding pollution in the region and contribute to better management of industrial waste, while improving the participation of local stakeholders in the decision-making process. This project complements other European initiatives in the same domain, and falls within the scope of the Horizon 2020 initiative, which aims to reduce pollution sources affecting the Mediterranean sea. Further information on EMWIS website

22- A meeting was held on January 31, 2014 by the steering committee of the municipal waste management plan (PCGD) in the Municipality of Sidi bou Saïd. The aim was to present and discuss the first - diagnostic - phase of the PCGD, to determine the current state of the project. The results of the diagnostic phase are included in the preparatory work that aims to integrate the project into the legal framework. This framework is a legal convention signed by the three municipalities involved in the project – La Marsa, Sidi bou Saïd and Carthage.  Further information on EMWIS website

23- The constitutions of Morocco and now that of Tunisia (art. 44) contain a reference to the right to water. On January 27th, 2014, during a solemn ceremony at the Palace of Bardo, headquarters of the National Constituent Assembly, the new Tunisian constitution was ratified by the three Presidents (President of the Republic, President of the assembly and the Head of government). A constitution considered as the most progressive of the Arab world. The new constitution aims to be democratic and in accordance with the core values of the « jasmine revolution »: freedom, dignity and social justice. It recognized the right to water as a part of human rights included in its chapter II, dedicated to rights and freedoms. The mentioned article 44 stipulates that: " The right to water is guaranteed. The conservation of the water and the rationalisation of its use is a duty of the State and the society ». The right to water is thus recognized in an explicit way and without ambiguity and the accent is also put on the responsibility of the State and the different components of the society for the conservation of the water resources and their good governance. This is understandable for a country as Tunisia situated in a zone of water scarcity with a mobilization rate of the available resources close to 90 %. Further information on EMWIS website

24- Tunisia has become only the third country on the planet to embed the importance of addressing climate change into its constitution. The National Constituent Assembly passed the text recently, with support from 168 MPs. The constitution obliges the state to “contribute to the protection of the climate … for future generations.”  Before only Ecuador and Dominican Republic had included climate change in their constitutions.  Water shortages and temperature rises are a particular concern in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, increasing the chances of droughts. According to climate models run by scientists who contribute to the UN’s IPCC reports, an estimated 80 million to 100 million people could be exposed to water stress by 2025. Tunisia also has vast potential for the production of solar energy. It plans to raise the share of renewables in its electricity mix from 5% in 2014 to 25% in 2030. Further information on EMWIS website

25- Masdar Institute of Science and Technology an independent, research-driven graduate-level university focused on advanced energy and sustainable technologies, and the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) jointly announced that they will partner with each other to deliver agricultural and water scarcity solutions in marginal environments of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and the wider Middle East North Africa region. The announcement was made during the World Future Energy Summit 2014 organized from 20-22 January in Abu Dhabi (UAE). The current agreement will cover areas such as climate, water and agricultural modeling, monitoring and analysis.  Recently the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) signed also other MoU with the Palestinian Water Authority (PWA) as well as the Palestinian Hydrology Group (PHG). Further information on EMWIS website

26- European households are generating lower levels of nutrient pollution in water, despite a growing population. In a similar example of 'absolute decoupling', levels of some pollutants from agriculture and manufacturing have fallen in recent years, while the economic production of these sectors has grown. These trends are highlighted in a series of new indicators published by the European Environment Agency (EEA), which look at various economic aspects of water pollution and water use in Europe.  'Absolute decoupling' is the implicit aim of many environmental policies, meaning economic growth continues while environmental impacts decrease. 'Relative decoupling' is often used to describe a situation where environmental impacts continue to increase, but at a lower rate than growth. The data suggests that Europe is generally moving in the right direction in reducing nutrient pollution of water, a major cause of eutrophication. It is still a significant pollution problem, however. Manufacturing industries have also significantly cut their emissions of heavy metals to water between 2004 and 2010, the data shows. However, at the national level a handful of countries do not show an absolute decoupling trend, either with falling rates of productivity or increasing pollutant emission levels. Further information on EMWIS website.

27- Researchers from three continents gathered at ESA’s technical heart in the Netherlands for the inaugural Alcantara initative workshop – fostering cooperation between research groups in Europe and those beyond, to jointly tackle key knowledge gaps in space research. Alcantara partnerships take place within existing ESA programmes – two in the first phase. One is the Agency’s long-running TIGER initiative, supporting African countries in applying Earth observation technology to water management. The second being ESA’s Monitor programme, seeking to understand  how space weather in the vicinity of the equator – far stronger and less predictable than anywhere else in the world – affects satnav performance. For most of the participants, new opportunities are set to open in both: ESA’s Sentinel satellites – the first being launched in April – will soon make an unprecedented quality and quantity of Earth observation data products available to anyone with the technical skills to use them.  Further information on EMWIS website

28- A potential new ESA satellite could use the fluorescence in plants to track health and productivity of vegetation worldwide. A likely candidate for the eighth ESA Earth Explorer, the Fluorescence Explorer (FLEX) would thus provide data for global maps of vegetation. Fluorescence gives an indication of a plant's health as it is emitted during the photosynthetic process. Measuring fluorescence is however challenging.  It aims to provide global maps of vegetation fluorescence, which can be used to work out actual photosynthetic activity. This information would improve our understanding of the way carbon moves between plants and the atmosphere and how it affects the carbon and water cycles. In addition, by offering new information that can be used to improve the management of water and fertilisers, FLEX could also improve agricultural productivity. Further information on EMWIS website.

29- The World Resources Institute, with Google and 40 other global partners, launched a website recently that helps monitor forests, Global Forest Watch. Andrew Steer, president and CEO of the Institute, appraised the applicability of satellite technology in this area. “Because of amazing developments in the availability of billions of pieces of satellite data […] it is possible to bring, for the first time ever, really real-time data at a very local level to everybody in the world.” Previous reports on deforestation had impacts in several countries like Canada, Brazil and Indonesia, but the reports were always based on printed data, which is of course not frequently updated. The website offers an easy way to track the deforestation development through nearly real time satellite images, through crowd sourcing and human networks in over 200 countries. Further information on EMWIS website.

30- Although 70% of the planet is covered by water, only 0.7% of the global water resource is readily available as freshwater, and it is very unevenly distributed across the planet. Unlike oil, for which there are multiple energy options, freshwater has no substitute. And unlike oil, our needs for water can't be sustainably addressed by transporting water from water rich areas to water-poor, high demand areas. Over the next few decades, projected population and economic growth levels will, locally push the stress on this finite resource to the limit. In turn, limits on freshwater availability could become the worlds, main growth limitation factor. To put things in perspective, it is estimated that if we maintain a "business as usual" approach to water management, by 2050, over $63 trillion dollars of the global GDP will be at risk. Industry can make a significant contribution to adopting a "blue growth" strategy, improving our water productivity (economic output per drop) by embracing water management practices, centred on sustainable water use. Water recycling and reuse is a key and achievable part of this strategy. Wastewater is the only water resource of which volume increases proportionally to economic development and consumption. Applications include facility cooling, boiler feed water, industrial process water, watering green spaces and golf courses, ground water storage and recovery and salt intrusion barriers in coastal communities. Further information on EMWIS website.

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NOMINATIONS and VACANCIES
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31- UNEP Announced Call for Nominations for 2014 Champions of the Earth Award:  The Award seeks to honor visionaries whose actions and leadership have had a positive impact on the environment. The 2014 winners will be unveiled at a gala event towards the end of 2014. Candidates are chosen from the fields of: policy and leadership; science and innovation; entrepreneurial vision; and inspiration and action. Further information on EMWIS website

32- UNESCO-IHE launches fellowship programme for experienced researchers in the field of water and development: The EWPFP COFUND is a fellowship programme for incoming mobility of experienced researchers in the broad field of water and development. The programme is launched by UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education and co-financed by the European Union’s Marie Curie Programme. The programme offers 16 fellowships that will cover a research period of 24 months. The first call for applications will open on 1 March 2014. The application deadline is 30 April 2014. Further information on EMWIS website.

33- Job opportunities with the WSSCC Global Sanitation Fund: Three exciting Global Sanitation Fund (GSF) roles are now being advertised by the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC). Applications are due by 30 March 2014 and can be submitted online at the website of the United Nations Office for Project Service (UNOPS), host to the Geneva-based WSSCC Secretariat. Senior Programme Officers (3 positions, P4 level) are being recruited to manage a USD 25-35 million grant portfolio of large scale sanitation and hygiene programmes in five to six countries, respectively. Further information on EMWIS website.

34- "2014-15 Affiliated Fellowship Application Information: Making Scarce Water Work for All": UNC-Chapel Hill is one of the world’s leading centers for water research. Affiliated Fellowships are available for one or two semesters (applicants on a quarter system can be accommodated). Applicants are invited to provide a curriculum vitae; a research proposal of no more than 1500 words outlining the project that will be undertaken during the fellowship term; and the names of three references (with contact information). In the proposal applicants should be quite specific about the problem or problems they are addressing, the methods to be employed, any UNC-CH faculty members with whom they wish to collaborate, and the importance of the expected results. Applications submission deadline is: April 1st, 2014. Further information on EMWIS website.

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PUBLICATIONS
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35- EWASH's Position Paper on Seawater Desalination for Gaza: Implications and Challenges. Further information on EMWIS website.

36- "International News 2014" - IOWater and its partners: This annual publication of the International Office for Water (IOWater/OIEau) is now available. Further information on EMWIS website.

37- "ESCWA Water Development Report 5: Issues in Sustainable Water Resources Management and Water Services":  examines developments in the area of monitoring water and sanitation services in the Arab region, in the light of global and regional preparations for the post-2015 development agenda. Further information on EMWIS website.

38- "Water security now ranks as one of greatest risks to civilisation": The ninth edition of the Global Risk Report, released by the World Economic Forum (WEF), identified water security as a top priority for the planet - while also finding that women and younger people are most likely to recognise this. Further information on EMWIS website

39- Thirsty Energy, the first publication of the Energy-Water initiative, introduces the energy-water nexus, examines the water requirements of power generation and outlines some potential technical and institutional solutions for improving the management of the nexus. Further information on EMWIS website

40- "The Red-Dead Sea Water Conveyance Project: A dangerous road to take": Published by Amin Dakkak at the Water Arab Source. Further information on EMWIS website.

41- New Book Reveals Untapped Opportunities for Domestic Investments in Water and Sanitation for the Poor:  Further information on EMWIS website.

42- APFM Highlights Publications on Flood Management, Forecasting and Mapping: The Associated Programme on Flood Management (APFM), a partnership between the Global Water Partnership (GWP) and World Meteorological Organization (WMO), has introduced three publications in the Integrated Flood Management (IFM) Tool Series in their January 2014 Newsletter. Further information on EMWIS website

43- Curbing speculation and the right to water: Unprecedented levels of speculation in commodities markets have played a key role in destabilizing global food prices. Reliable tools for regulation exist and a global approach is on the table. Further information on EMWIS website

44- World Economic Forum Report Highlights the Cost-effectiveness of Climate Adaptation: A report titled 'Climate Adaptation: Seizing the Challenge,' released by the World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council on Climate Change, encapsulates recent thinking on adaptation and financing, and is aimed at increasing the understanding of these issues of public and private sector decision makers. Further information on EMWIS website

45- Human water consumption intensifies hydrological drought worldwide: Over the past 50 years, human water use has more than doubled and affected stream flow over various regions of the world. However, it remains unclear to what degree human water consumption intensifies hydrological drought (the occurrence of anomalously low stream flow). Further information on EMWIS website

46- ChemWater Final Conference Presentations are available online. Further information on EMWIS website

47- European Innovation Partnership (EIP) Newsletter of February 2014 is available. Further information on EMWIS website

48- UN-SPIDER Newsletter 1/14: Space Technologies in the United Nations: Disasters triggered by natural hazards such as floods, droughts, storms or fires affect millions of people every year and result in billions of dollars in economic losses. Further information on EMWIS website

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CALL FOR TENDERS and PROPOSALS
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49- The new programme H2020 on research and innovation launched officially on December 11, 2013: The European Commission has presented on December 11st the calls for projects under Horizon 2020. Worth more than €15 billion over the first two years, the funding is intended to help boost Europe’s knowledge-driven economy, and tackle issues that will make a difference in people’s lives. Most calls from the 2014 budget are already open for submissions, with more to follow over the course of the year. The three funded pillars of the new programme are: • Excellent Science: Around €3 billion, including €1.7 billion for grants from the European Research Council for top scientists and €800 million for Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellowships for younger researchers ;  • Industrial Leadership: €1.8 billion to support Europe’s industrial leadership in areas like ICT, nanotechnologies, advanced manufacturing, robotics, biotechnologies and space. • Societal challenges: €2.8 billion for innovative projects addressing Horizon 2020’s seven societal challenges, broadly: health; agriculture, maritime and bioeconomy; energy; transport; climate action, environment, resource efficiency and raw materials; reflective societies; and security. International cooperation will be an important cross-cutting priority of Horizon 2020. In addition to Horizon 2020 being fully open to international participation, targeted actions with key partner countries and regions will focus on the EU’s strategic priorities , through a new strategic and coherent approach ensured across Horizon 2020. "Water Innovation: Boosting its value for Europe": Deadline Date: 2014-04-08 +17:00:00 (Brussels local time). Further information on EMWIS website.

50- "COST Open Call: Submit Your Proposal": COST invites researchers throughout Europe to submit proposals for research networks and use this unique opportunity to exchange knowledge and to embark on new European perspectives. A continuous Open Call for Proposals is used to attract the best proposals for new COST Actions. COST follows different evaluation procedures for Proposals submitted in one of the nine COST Domains or, when highly interdisciplinary and spanning several COST Domains, as Trans-Domain Proposals (TDP). The support will cover the costs of networking activities such as meetings (e.g. travel, subsistence, local organiser support), conferences, workshops, short-term scientific exchanges, training schools, publications and dissemination activities. COST does not fund the research itself. For submissions in one of the nine COST Domains: Friday 28 March 2014 at 17:00 Brussels time (GMT+1). For TDP submissions: 7 March 2014 (Proposal Registration) and11 April 2014 (Proposal Submission) at 17:00 Brussels time (GMT+1). For scientists and researchers not working in Europe they can also apply to this open call of COST to get its support.  Further information on EMWIS website

51- Call for proposals for Free FORMOSAT-2 Satellite Imagery: The International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS) calls for proposals for free FORMOSAT-2 satellite data. This research announcement provides an opportunity for researchers to carry out advanced researches and applications in their fields of interest using archived and/or newly acquired FORMOSAT-2 satellite images.  Research projects in areas close to the Societal Beneficial Areas of GEO/GEOSS are particularly welcome. Up to ten proposals will be selected by a reviewing committee. Each selected proposal will be granted 10 archived images and/or data acquisition requests free of charge. Proposals that include members of ISPRS Student Consortium will be given higher priority. All requested image acquisition shall be before December 31, 2014. Further information on EMWIS website

52- "Lebanon: Tenders being held for waterworks Irrigation networks to be installed nation wide": A number of tenders is being held for the installation of water and wastewater networks in North Lebanon and Mount Lebanon. Irrigation networks are also scheduled for South Lebanon, Nabatieh, and the Bekaa. A tender for potable water distribution networks in some Koura villages is also expected to be held as well as a tender for the construction and restoration of wastewater pipelines at the Saida pretreatment plant. The contractors should not handle more than four water projects at the same time. Deadline Date: 2014-04-08 +17:00:00 (Brussels local time). Budget: €15,000,000. Further information on EMWIS website

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CALL FOR PAPERS
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53- Abstract submission open - 2014 RAQRS in Valencia, Spain: The 4th International Symposium on Recent Advances in Quantitative Remote Sensing: RAQRS'IV, 22-26th September 2014. This symposium hosted in Torrent (Valencia)-Spain.  Early Registration: 1 June 2014. Further information on EMWIS website

54- Call for Abstracts: "5th International Agricultural Symposium “Agrosym 2014”- 1st Announcement": The University of East Sarajevo, Faculty of Agriculture, (Bosnia and Herzegovina), the University of Belgrade, Faculty of Agriculture (Serbia) and the CIHEAM-Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Bari (CIHEAM-IAMB, Italy) in collaboration with other partners organize the 5th International Agricultural Symposium “Agrosym 2014”. Registration and abstracts submission deadline: 30 April 2014. Further information on EMWIS website

55- Call for papers for IWRM Karlsruhe 2014: The international congress IWRM Karlsruhe 2014 is the only platform which specifically discusses the concept of IWRM. Above all, the congress focuses on the combined implementation of theoretical and scientific approaches, toghether with the experiences in the sustainable implementation of IWRM concepts and technologies. The advisory board of the congress developed a scope which reflects the diverse range of Integrated Water Resources Management. Deadline for abstracts submission: 17 April 2014. Further information on EMWIS website.

56- Call for abstracts for the IWA WATERIDEAS2014 Conference on Intelligent Distribution for Efficient and Affordable Supplies to be held in Bologna (Italy) in the period [10/22/2014 to 10/24/2014]. The deadline for submissions is: 30 April 2014. Further information on EMWIS website.

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TRAINING
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58- Adaptive and Integrated Water Resources Managements Programs - McGill University: A 1-year Master of Science in Integrated Water Resources Management (Non-Thesis). Candidates may have undergraduate degrees in a wide variety of related areas, including: geography, international development studies, sociology, anthropology, mathematics, environmental studies, biology, natural resources management, and engineering amongst others. Further information on EMWIS website.

59- Master of Water Resources and Environment from the University of Malaga (Spain): to initiate students who might be interested in a research career. This is a PhD Program which teaches methods and trends in water resources and environment research. Another general objective is to train professionals on advanced and multidisciplinary water resource techniques, capable of understanding the function of aquifers and evaluating, protecting and managing water resources from a sustainable point of view. Further information on EMWIS website

60- 2nd IWaTec Winter School: Water and Energy for Egypt. The IWaTec consortium in cooperation with Campus El Gouna - TU Berlin from 16 to 20 February. The main objective of the school is to bring together scientists, experts, and students from Germany and Egypt for scientific and knowledge exchange about water and energy technologies that are important for Egypt:  membrane technologies, solar driven desalination, sustainable water management, microbiology in drinking water, ecology and human health, solar cell technology and wastewater treatment. The invited speakers are reporting on the latest scientific results and cutting edge technologies. IWaTec is funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and financed by the Federal Foreign Office with total of  220,000 Euro till the end of 2013. It is expected that IWaTec will be extended till end of 2014. The quality of the program objectives will be assured by a scientific Steering Committee. Further information on EMWIS website.

[2014/03/20 - 2014/03/21] Pilot Arno Water Accounts (PAWA) Project: 1° Stakeholder Workshop & Training Session (ISPRA, ARBA & EMWIS), Firenze, Italy. Further information on EMWIS website.

[2014/04/01 - 2014/04/03] Training on Water Accounts and Statistics, Vienna, Austria. Further information on EMWIS website

[2014/05/19- 2014/05/23] Summer Water Academy: Communicating Science on the Water- Energy- Food Nexus: Bridging the Link between Science & Policy, Bonn, Germany Further information on EMWIS website

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EVENTS (Full Agenda)
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PROJECTS (Projects database)
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WATER PROJECTS DATABASE (MEDA-NIPs, MEDA-Water, LIFE, SMAP, INCO-MED, FP4-FP7, INTERREG, etc.)

Mediterranean Network of Water Training Centres (AQUA ForMED). Further information on EMWIS website.

Regional Water Knowledge Network (RKNOW) project. Further information on: www.rknow.net (coming soon).

Pilot Arno Water Accounts (PAWA) Project. Further information on EMWIS website.

Demonstrating integrated innovative technologies for an optimal and safe closed water cycle in Mediterranean tourist facilities (demEAUmed) project. Further information on: www.demeaumed.eu

Halting Desertification in the Jucar River Basin (HALT-JÚCAR-DES) project. Further information on EMWIS website.

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BRIEF EMWIS SITE MAP
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