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In this issue N°153 (http://www.emwis.net/thematicdirs/eflash/flash153)
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HEADLINE

1-  Webinars and virtual study tour on the theme of water scarcity management

In Brief

12- French-Tunisian cooperation on urban organic waste management

13- SAFERS: Support the Consortium to Offer Better Solutions for Forest Fire Management (Survey)

14- MedYWat: The 5th Mediterranean Water Heroes Youth Contest “Valuing Water” is Launched

15- VISCA: Very promising results from the DSS for Climate Change Adaptation in Vineyards and the Way Forward

16- HYDROUSA: Policy and legislative barriers to close water-related loops in innovative small water and wastewater systems in Europe: A critical analysis

17- SUPROMED:  You can read now the first newsletter on sustainable agro-production in water limited environment

18- Sustain-COAST: Subscribe to the first newsletter on sustainable coastal groundwater management and pollution reduction

19- Circular City: Urban Ecology - the green within the city

20- EdiCitNet is presenting the Edible City of the Future on car-free Friedrichstraße in Berlin!

21- France: France consumes much more water than it withdrawns

22- Algeria : SEAAL to take over water management from Suez in Algiers

23- Morocco: Rabat and Berlin strengthen their cooperation in the water sector

24- Tunisia: €132m KfW for rainwater management and energy efficiency

25- Tunisia: ONAS launches works to extend the Sud Méliane wastewater treatment plant

26- Tunisia: WWF launches a study on the dewatering of the Sebkhet Sidi Ali lagoon

27- Albania: National Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems Nexus consultation meeting

28- Jordan:  EU-funded water desalination plant to be constructed in Risha

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- Within the framework of the CREM project "Regional cooperation for a sustainable management of water resources in the Maghreb", the GIZ, the Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS) and EMWIS Technical Unit are cooperating for organising a series of webinars to exchange experiences on solutions to reduce water scarcity in Mediterranean countries. An introductory online event was organized on December 17, 2020, to present the approach to the three countries concerned by the project: Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia (Ministries in charge of water resources). Initially planned as technical visit, it was decided to move to a full online activity due to the current pandemic situation. This new setting allows a wider participation from beneficiary countries as well as a broader scope in terms of places to "virtually" visited. Thus the sessions will cover experiences from Spain and France. The main purpose of this virtual study visit is to allow participants from the three partner countries of the project to discuss the practices and experiences of neighbouring countries on the management of water resources scarcity, from a knowledge point of view as well as from a practical and research experience. Cases of good practices will be presented to participants during the different sessions, in terms of state of the art, planning and solutions at different territorial scales. The introductory webinar allowed to introduce the general framework and the objective of the action, the themes of the different sessions, to establish links between participants and to better know their expectations. The webinars will start on February 2021. Further information on EMWIS website 

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IN BRIEF (Full news)
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2-Representatives from Urban water and sanitation, Solid waste management, Energy, Agro-food, building and construction, Plastic sectors as well Consultancy companies, regions and municipalities, and Environmental agencies are invited to contribute  at identifying, shortlisting, and validating key Circularity Performance Indicators (CPI’s) which can be used as metrics in a multi-sectoral circularity assessment framework by responding to the survey [link]. The survey has been designed to take into consideration the vision of different types of stakeholders. The survey is anonymous. It proposes circularity criteria and tries to identify the constraints in monitoring them in different sectors. By replying to the survey, you will be able to compare your current or future approach with already identified ones and if you wish (and provide your contact details) we will inform you on the results and invite to a webinar where results will be discussed. This survey is a joint initiative from the HYDROUSA project (regenerative and nature based water solutions for circular economy) and the COST Action CA17133 on Circular City. Further information on EMWIS website

3- Three years after the first proposal to revise the European Drinking Water Directive, it is finally published in the Official Journal of the European Union on December 23, 2020. The impetus for the revision of this European text is a first: it stems from a European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) "Right2water", validated in 2014, which aims to guarantee a "right to water" for all, while strengthening the levels of protection. The new rules update quality standards and introduce a risk-based approach. Further information on EMWIS website

4- The French Hydrology Society (SHF), in partnership with French National Space Agency (CNES) and Artelia Group, is organizing the e-colloquium "Contribution of Space to Water Challenges" from January 20 to 22, 2021. Remote sensing data and data acquired from airspace have made significant progress in recent years and complement ground-based measurements with different levels of accuracy, spatial integration, periodicity, ease and cost of data set acquisition. This event will review the new services based on these observation and measurement systems in the field of water, and their complementarity, both for national and international issues. The event is organised around posters sessions, round tables and the following thematic sessions: i) the challenges of multi-sources data sharing, in which Mediterranean challenges will be presented by SEMIDE; ii) Management of coastal water; iii) Assessment of water resources for Agriculture; iv) snow and water stocks monitoring; v) Monitoring water levels; vi) Estimation of water flows and floods; vii) Monitoring water quality and biodiversity. Further information on EMWIS website

5- The International Network of Basin Organizations is organizing its next webinar, in partnership with the National Water Commission of Mexico (CONAGUA), on Thursday 28 January 2021. Most of the world's population already lives in cities and by 2050, the Earth will have nearly 6 billion city dwellers. This concentration of populations in urban areas creates many challenges: how to integrate this urban growth into sustainable development? How to ensure good water resource management? How to adapt to climate change? Responding to these challenges requires, among other things, strengthening dialogue between those responsible for municipal water and sanitation services and those responsible for planning and managing water resources at the level of river basins. Further information on EMWIS website

6-The 9th World Water Forum is now planned to take place in Dakar from 21 to 26 March 2022. This edition will break with the “business as usual” approach of the past. Our aim is to focus on action for water.  In this perspective,  the traditional thematic-regional- political, and citizens process has been revised. In addition to this, the Framework for Action that drives the content development of the  9th World Water Forum is based on the intention to create as much coherence as possible with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) so that the action that is catalyzed through the process of the Forum can also contribute directly to the achievement of the Agenda 2030. An action framework has been defined around 4 priorities a set of action groups: 1)  Water Security and Sanitation; 2) Rural Development; 3) Cooperation; 4) Means & Tools (Transversal theme that relates to all other priorities). For each action group a consultative process has been launched (till 15 March 2021) to prepare the category of actions and related projects that will be featured. Further information on WWF9 

7- For dry regions like the MENA, desalination has long been part of national water strategies. As a whole, the region accounts for almost the half of the world’s desalination capacity and is home to some of the largest desalination plants. A regional study on desalination  in the MENA region was carried out by Dr. Jauad El Kharraz and Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Regional Program Energy Security and Climate Change Middle East and North Africa (KAS – REMENA). It aims at presenting the state of the art of desalination in the MENA region as a valuable alternative for water supply in front of an increasing water scarcity exacerbated by climate change and economic and population growths. This regional study was officially presented and its main outcomes discussed, during a virtual meeting on 12 January. Further information on EMWIS website

8-The PRIMA Foundation and the Italian Secretariat of PRIMA have promoted an online debate on Future Scenarios for the EuroMED Agrifood, in collaboration with Union for the Mediterranean.The panel discussed main trends and issues in agri-food, with the intervention of Strategic Programme Leader on Food Systems Jamie Morrison. A synthesis has been prepared based on the results of the EuroMed Survey that has been launched in the frame of PRIMA (Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area) in the last months. The self-administered survey was meant to understand the situation of the EuroMed agrifood system in light of the COVID pandemic, the emerging trends, the new challenges as well as the transformations to be positively induced. It is now possible to view the recording of this webinar with: the initial summary of the main findings, based on more than 180 answers received, and some preliminary remarks, which take into account the notes, comments and analyses sent by the experts. The current working document will be further developed and enriched with a summary of the online debate co-organized by PRIMA and the Union for the Mediterranean on July 15 2021, as well as additional notes and contributions from PRIMA-partnering institutions. Further information on EMWIS website

9- The 42 UfM Member States declared the ‘International Day of the Mediterranean’ at the fifth edition of the UfM Regional Forum, which was a special one as it happened 25 years after the launch of the Barcelona Process.Coinciding with the anniversary of the Barcelona Declaration of 1995, which laid the foundations for the creation of the Union for the Mediterranean,  the ‘International Day of the Mediterranean’  will be observed on 28 November every year. The celebration’s aim is to foster a common Mediterranean identity and raise awareness about the efforts undertaken by all the stakeholders who work on a daily basis to enhance cooperation and integration in the Euro-Mediterranean area. The cultural dimension will also be an important component as it will provide an occasion to hold events, exhibitions and festivals across the region with a view to strengthening ties between the two shores, promoting intercultural exchange and dialogue, and embracing the diversity of the region.The 5th Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) Regional Forum was held virtually under the title ‘25years: Building a Stronger Mediterranean’. Ministers also agreed to particularly direct efforts in the coming year towards further integrating economies through the promotion of trade and investment, encouraging climate action and sustainable models for growth, and supporting digital transformation whilst maintaining the UfM’s longstanding focus on both women’s empowerment and employment, especially among young people. Further information on EMWIS website

10- The new WaPOR applications catalogue compiles case studies and resources in the domain of water productivity, including a wide range of applications of WaPOR data, and the varying contexts in which it is used. WaPOR is FAO's publicly accessible data portal for monitoring water productivity in agriculture, a crucial sector to direct our attention towards in regards to water savings, especially in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) and Africa region which the data presently covers. In fact, population growth worldwide is invariably accompanied by an expanding need for resources such as water and land. Water use around the world has been growing at twice the rate that population has, and this puts unprecedented pressure on our limited freshwater resources. Agricultural water accounts for, on average, 70 percent of the freshwater withdrawn globally and in many parts of the world it is in direct conflict with other essential water uses, such as domestic and environmental. In tackling the challenge of food security, thinking about producing more food with less water, that is increasing water productivity, is necessary and urgent.The new catalogue, which is now available on the WaPOR website, acts as a compendium of the multitude of ways in which the community of users puts WaPOR data to use from case studies to resources, including products that evaluate the data's accuracy and suitability. It serves as a reference for the different contexts in which the idea of producing more with less water is inscribed: expansion vs. intensification, policy implications, social considerations, stakeholder engagement and communication, etc. Further information on EMWIS website

11- IWA’s upcoming World Water Congress & Exhibition in Copenhagen, Denmark, has been moved forward to September 2022 (specific dates to follow). The decision to postpone was taken due to the ongoing pandemic, and general uncertainty around live events and international travel. All existing tickets will remain valid, but please do contact the team should you have any queries about this. IWA also plans to hold a significant virtual congress in Q2 of 2021, with more details to follow shortly.This edition of the IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition will engage stakeholders and key contacts within the conventional water sector and beyond. It will bring together core water sector groups, such as those focused on urban water and urban water services, as well as participants from industry and agriculture, architects and urban planners, soil and groundwater experts and hydrologists, social scientists, the ICT sector, the financial sector, and others. With a strong representation and contribution from Nordic and Baltic Sea countries, the IWA Congress & Exhibition is a vital opportunity to learn about the Nordic water challenges and solutions, including participation in technical site visits. Further information on EMWIS website

12- The Nice-Cotes d'Azur Metropolitan and the City of Sfax have been granted a financial support from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs to cooperate on the definition of the best approach for managing organic solid waste in Sfax Metropolitan area comprising the city of Sfax and 10 surrounding municipalities. The project will be impleted in 2021 and will be supported by SEMIDE, OiEau and COGIDEC (group of stakeholders related to circular economy and solid waste in Sfax area). The launch event will take place in February or March 2021. Further information on EMWIS website.

13- SAFERS project aims to implement an Earth Observation-enabled, modular, interoperable, and web-based platform for decision support in wildfire management able to act along all key phases of the emergency management cycle. To ensure that this platform will be beneficial to all professionals, the consortium has prepared an online survey that aims to identify key requirements from organisations towards the development of a system appropriately embedded to assist in decision making and operational needs. You may support the consortium to identify the key requirements by dedicating 15-20 minutes to respond to this survey [link]. Further information can be found here.

14- Every year, World Water Day draws the world’s attention to key global water issues. World Water Day 2021 will focus on the theme of Valuing Water. To amplify the voice of regional youth on this topic, the Center for Mediterranean Integration (CMI) is launching the fifth edition of its Mediterranean youth workshop on Valuing Water. In the run-up to this workshop, the fifth edition of the “Mediterranean Water Heroes” youth contest will offer young water researchers and activists from around the Mediterranean the opportunity to showcase their innovative work on water.  You may apply for the contest from here before 24th January 2021. Further information is found on CMI website.

15- On 15th December 2020, VISCA Final Conference was held virtually to present the results of the project and the way forward. The conference attracted around 60 participants with a variety of profiles: viticulturists, wine producers, scientists, agricultural communities, software providers, entrepreneurs, media, among others who connected to the e-conference from 10 countries: Belgium, France, Greece, Italy, Israel, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Tunisia and the UK.  Besides the key results of VISCA which were illustrated by different partners within the consortium, external speakers joined the event, such as representative from the European Commission (EASME) as well as experts from the agricultural sector and other EU-funded projects and initiatives who shared their experiences & results on climate change adaptation in viticulture and other sectors. You may download the presentations of the Final Conference from VISCA website as well as watch the e-conference on VISCA YouTube Channel.

16- Water supply and reuse through non-conventional water resources can significantly decrease the stress on natural water resources. Decentralized systems can help not only to alleviate issues of water security in arid areas, but also to create a sustainable framework within a circular economy. Although these small-scale innovative technologies can achieve ready-to-use, high quality of recovered/treated water on-site, the loop cannot be closed in most cases due to legislative barriers. Similarly, the end-use of sewage sludge after treatment in decentralized systems still lacks specific regulations that limit its valorization. Within the framework of HYDROUSA project, a scientific paper was published to analyze the current policy and legislation related to water supply, wastewater treatment, water reuse and resource valorization within the context of decentralized state-of-the-art technologies applied in rural areas. You may read the full paper here. Further information on EMWIS website.

17- The first newsletter of SUPROMED Project is available on the project website. The project is about sustainable agriculture production in water limited environment. It aims at providing tools (DSS and good agriculture practices) for farmers in the Med region with demo cases in Spain, Lebanon and Tunisia.  The newsletter gives a recap on the developments of SUPROMED activities since the beginning of the project, October 2019. You can read it here. Further information about the project on SUPROMED website

18- Sustain-COAST “Sustainable coastal groundwater management and pollution reduction through innovative governance in a changing climate” is an R&I project co-funded under the PRIMA 2018 programme section II, for a period of 3 years starting from June 2019.  The project team is now preparing the first Sustain-COAST newsletter it will give a recap on the project activities,  if you want to receive the newsletter please send a message to  SUSTAIN-COAST team via its Facebook.  Further information on Sustain-coast website

19- A course on Urban Ecology, co-organized by the Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (cE3c) and the COST Action CA17133 on Circular City will be held virtually from 15-19 February 2021. The goal of this course is to provide to the participants with current and practical knowledge on urban ecology, including ecological and social aspects. It aims at providing an integrated approach on urban socio-ecological systems with a focus on understanding cities as a social-ecological system, analyse its main challenges, understand the role of the urban green infrastructure and nature-based solution, learn how to assess ecosystem services, use ecological indicators to evaluate the status and trends of the environment and ecosystem services. The application deadline on 15 January 2021. Further information is available here.

20- Friedrichstraße is one of the most famous shopping streets in the city of Berlin. Normally it is heavily trafficked, but now the city has implemented a pilot project that turns a section of the street into a strolling mile without cars. Stores and residents in this area can present themselves in so-called “showcases” (glass boxes), and well-known brands such as Rolex or Cartier which show their collections and models there. EdiCitNet project and residents of Friedrichstraße also take up this offer, by presenting Edible City of the Future! With a raised bed, information posters about the Living Labs in Berlin and visions of the future, we invite everyone to imagine a city next to consumption and car traffic that is edible and combines social, ecological and economic factors. Join EdiCitNet Network to share your visions and ideas about the Edible City of the Future! Further information on   EdiCitNet website

21-  It is a paradox specific to developed countries. France, like Switzerland, Sweden or even South Korea, consumes much more water than it withdraws within its borders. This resource not drawn in situ comes from imported goods and services in the production of which it has played a role, both in the food industry and in industry. In contrast, French exports flow much less water, indicates the Ministry of Ecological Transition in the annual report that it devotes to water and aquatic environments. Further information on EMWIS website

22- The Algerian authorities intend to manage water themselves in the capital Algiers. This decision will take effect in August 2021, at the end of the contract signed between the Algiers Water and Sewerage Company (SEAAL) and Suez. Suez has been managing drinking water in Algiers since 2005. There is something new in the water sector in Algeria:  “We believe that we already have the means to manage the drinking water supply (AEP) of Algiers ourselves,” says Arezki Barraki, the Algerian Minister of Water Resources. In 2005, the Water and Sanitation Company of Algiers (SEAAL) owned by the Algerian Water Company (ADE) and the National Sanitation Office (ONA) signed a 5-year contract with the Suez Company for the management of drinking water supply and sanitation in the greater Algiers area, for 120 million euros. The contract was renewed for five years in 2011, then for two years in 2016 and finally for three years in 2018. It has been extended to the wilaya of Tipaza and to the water production system of the Taksebt dam (Tizi Ouzou). “It was therefore not in Algeria’s interest to terminate the Suez contract since it will end in August 2021,” said Minister Arezki Barraki. Further information on EMWIS website

23- Morocco and Germany are working together to implement the programme of Support to Water Resources Management for Poverty Reduction and Resilience Building (Rural Resilience). This new initiative is now the subject of an agreement between the governments of the Kingdom of Morocco and Germany. The two countries have thus agreed to endow this programme with a budget of €5.6 million. According to Abdelkader Amara, the Moroccan Minister of Public Works, the programme, which will run until 2023, will affect the areas of action of the Tensift, Sebou and Ziz-Guir-Rhéris water basin agencies. The aim of this new programme is to improve the living conditions of rural populations, as well as their resilience in the face of climate change, which is reflected in the increasing water stress in this North African kingdom.The “Rural Resilience” programme replaces the Integrated Water Resources Management Support Programme (AGIRE) implemented between 2008 and 2020, with a budget of €22.7 million. According to the Moroccan authorities, who are satisfied with this German cooperation in the water sector, in 12 years, “AGIRE” has made it possible to provide the water basin agencies of the Tensift, Souss Massa and Oum Errabiaa with technical assistance for the development of mechanisms, procedures and tools for efficient, integrated and sustainable management of water resources. Further information on EMWIS website

24- The Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW), the German development agency, signs two loan agreements worth 132 million euros with the Tunisian authorities for rainwater management and energy efficiency in public buildings in Tunisia.The agreements were signed recently at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad, between KfW,  and representatives of the Tunisian Ministry of Agriculture, Hydraulic Resources and Fisheries (MARHP). KfW has pledged €111 million for the implementation of the Storage and Flood Protection Programme (SPCI). The programme implemented by MARHP aims at protecting populations against floods, particularly in the Medjerda basin, a river that originates in Algeria and whose bed is mainly on Tunisian territory. In the rainy season, floods are amplified by the Sidi Salem dam, which is used for electricity production (20 MW) and irrigation. This part of the programme is receiving an additional €5 million from the German government. Further information on EMWIS website

25-The Tunisian government has just launched the rehabilitation and extension works of the Sud Méliane wastewater treatment plant in Rades. The project implemented by the National Sanitation Office (ONAS) is financed by the European Union (EU), the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the French Development Agency (AFD).The rehabilitation and extension work on the Sud Méliane wastewater treatment plant has begun. The project was recently launched during a tour of Kamel Doukh, the Tunisian Minister of Equipment, Housing and Infrastructure in the Greater Tunis area. It was in the presence of the French Ambassador to Tunisia André Parant and the European Union Ambassador Marcus Cornaro.The rehabilitation and extension work in progress should increase the capacity of the Sud Méliane wastewater treatment plant to 90,000 m3 per day. The plant currently has a capacity of 37,500 m3 per day. These effluents come from the southern suburbs of the capital Tunis. The works also include the construction of an anaerobic digestion system for the settling sludge, as well as the valorisation into biogas. Further information on EMWIS website

26- According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the study of the drying up of the waters of the Sebkhet Sidi Ali El Mekki lagoon is part of the scope of the GEMWET project “Conservation and sustainable development of coastal wetlands of high ecological value”. This saline basin is drying up rapidly, with the consequences of a rise in the salinity of the water and the alteration of the automatic irrigation of the plants which eventually die, resulting in a decline in agriculture and the gradual death of the Sebkha. The aim of the study undertaken by WWF Tunisia is to determine the means to review the level and quality of the water by an ideal circulation of water within the Sebkha in order to avoid its drying up in the area of the artificial stretches of land reclaimed from the water. The initiative will also help to determine the strategies for the replenishment of water in the micro-lagoons, which have suffered significant losses in fish stocks in recent years. Further information on EMWIS website

27- National Nexus consultation meeting in Albania brings together stakeholders from all related sectors: Economic and social development in Albania crucially depends on the availability and good quality of natural resources, which are, however, under increasing pressure. In order to assist towards an optimised overall security of resources, the Nexus SEE project is promoting an integrated Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems Nexus approach that aims at reconciling potentially conflicting interests of different sectors as they compete for the same scarce resources, while capturing existing opportunities for synergies and exploring emerging ones.In the context of the project’s activities in Albania, an online Nexus consultation meeting was convened on 14 December 2020, in order to gather sectoral perspectives on cross-sectoral interlinkages and inform the preparation of the Nexus Assessment. Representatives from the Ministry of Tourism and Environment, the Water Resources Management Agency, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the National Environment Agency shared the latest developments in policy making in the fields of water resources, water supply and sanitation, energy, irrigation and drainage, forestry and biomass, and environmental protection. Further information on EMWIS website

28- A partnership agreement, on constructing a desalination plant in the Risha region, on 6 January 2021 was signed by Aqaba Water Company and Palestinian Wastewater Engineers Group. The desalination plant, at the northern region, is part of the Mediterranean Integrated System for Water Supply (MEDISS). The company, in a statement, said that the EU-funded project includes the construction of a desalination plant in the Wadi Araba’s Risha region at a cost of 2.4 million euros, with Aqaba Water Company covering 10 per cent of it. Further information on EMWIS website

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NOMINATIONS and VACANCIES
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29- Job vacancy: ICRA (the Catalan Institute for Water Research) is looking for a passionate research engineer (PhD optional, but not obligatory) to work on the European funded project iWAYS. In iWAYS, ICRA will evaluate membrane distillation and steam condensation at pilot scale to recover heat and water in the steel manufacturing industry. Suitable experience of the candidate may hence include: thermal distillation and steam condensation, membrane technology, pilot-plants design and operation, evaluation and reporting of experimental results.The person should be flexible to travel to project meetings and to the pilot site in the Basque country. ICRA offers a collaborative environment in a dynamic and well-reputed research centre. The 3-year position is supervised by Wolfgang Gernjak.Deadline for application: January 24th, 2021. Further information on EMWIS website

30- Nomination: Mr Raúl Compés elected new Director of CIHEAM Zaragoza, Spain.The CIHEAM Governing Board has ratified the appointment of Mr Raúl Compés as the new Director of CIHEAM Zaragoza.The Governing Board of the International Center for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM) agreed on 27th November to ratify the appointment of Mr Raúl Compés as the new Director of CIHEAM Zaragoza. Mr Compés, professor in the Department of Economics and Social Sciences at the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV) will begin to perform his duties on 4th January 2021 replacing Mr Javier Sierra Andrés, former Director of CIHEAM Zaragoza, who served as the leading representative of this Institution from September 2015 to June of this year. Further information on EMWIS website

31- Nomination: The Board of Directors of the Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS), under the chairmanship of Mr. Abdeladim LHAFI, appointed Mr. Nabil Ben Khatra, a Tunisian national, as Executive Secretary. An agricultural engineer and specialist in Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems, he started his professional career in 1995 at the National Center for Remote Sensing of Tunisia before joining the Ministry of Environment in 2000 (Tunisia). He joined the Sahara and Sahel Observatory in 2003, first as an expert in Sustainable Management of Natural Resources and responsible for Monitoring and Evaluation, then as Coordinator of the Environment Program, a position he has held since 2008. His professional experience of more than 26 years covers the fields of sustainable management of natural resources, development of tools for observation and environmental monitoring as well as the development of mitigation and adaptation programs to climate change. His intervention has focused on the development of strategic partnerships and resource mobilization in response to various environmental issues and challenges in Africa, with a view to contributing to the achievement of the objectives of national and international development agendas.Further information on EMWIS website

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PUBLICATIONS
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CALL FOR PAPERS
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37- Call for papers: Water Supply Special Issue on Water Quality Control: Water quality control is essential to satisfy basic human needs, health, food production, energy and maintenance of regional and global ecosystems. In recent years, research has emerged on the water quality control in many aspects. The special issue is devoted to providing rich and thought-provoking scientific findings to share the latest research development and technical solutions in the areas of water treatment technologies, including reuse and recycling; water quality monitoring; drinking water quality; water pollution control; water pollutants, characteristics and effects; water resources and management, as well as other technology and modelling studies on water quality control.Deadline for paper submission: July 2021. Further information on EMWIS website
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TRAINING
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38- Nature Based Solutions for Water and Land Management: With the ever increasing need to deliver sustainable solutions for water and land management worldwide, being able to assess potential nature based solutions (NBS) in different contexts will become a key skill for all designers, regulators, consultants, academics, and NGOs involved in environmental studies. On 22 February, a short course will illustrate how nature based solutions can contribute to deliver sustainable land and water management. You will acquire the skills to identify, evaluate, and perform feasibility designs of different nature-based water management approaches and technologies in urban and rural environments. Further information on EMWIS website

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Events / changes due to COVID19
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