Euro-Mediterranean Information System on know-how in the Water sector

2008-11-01T00:00:00Z

ENB Vol. 17 No. 31 - Tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands - Issue #6

2008-11-03T00:00:00Z

Ramsar COP 10 delegates met in plenary in morning and afternoon sessions to consider revised draft resolutions.
Delegates adopted many resolutions, including on the Ramsar Strategic Plan, regional initiatives, avian influenza, and partnerships and synergies with MEAs. An informal working group on wetlands and climate change met throughout the day.

2008-11-03T00:00:00Z

First worldwide map of groundwater resources crossing national boundaries has just been published by UNESCO

2008-11-04T00:00:00Z

Almost 96 per cent of the planet's freshwater resources are found in underground aquifers, most of which straddle national boundaries.

Detail of UNESCO's global aquifer map. Click on image for full-size version. Click here for a legend to the map.

What the UNESCO map reveals is just how many aquifers cross international borders. So far, the organisation has identified 273 trans-boundary aquifers: 68 in the Americas, 38 in Africa, 155 in Eastern and Western Europe and 12 in Asia.Each trans-boundary aquifer holds the potential for international conflict – if two countries share an aquifer, pumping in one country will affect its neighbour's water supply.

The map is the culmination of eight years of research and development of an extensive ground water database by UNESCO’s International Hydrological Programme (IHP).

Despite its strategic importance, no global inventory of this resource had been compiled to date. The detailed map of transboundary aquifers - available online - also indicates water quality of the aquifers, recharge of the aquifers, streams and rivers in the region of the aquifers, and population density near the aquifers.

The aquifers, which contain 100 times the volume of fresh water that is to be found on the Earth's surface, already supply a sizeable proportion of our needs. The growth in the demand for water since the second half of the 20th century has been met by the increased use of underground resources. Globally, 65 per cent of this utilization is devoted to irrigation, 25 per cent to the supply of drinking water and 10 per cent to industry.

Massive amounts of water are used
to irrigate cropland in California
© Inga Spence/Holt Studios International

Underground aquifers account for more than 70 per cent of the water used in the European Union, and are often one of the only - if not the only - source of supply in arid and semi-arid zones (100 per cent in Saudi Arabia and Malta, 95 per cent in Tunisia and 75 per cent in Morocco). Irrigation systems in many countries depend very largely on groundwater resources (90 per cent in Libya, 89 per cent in India, 84 per cent in South Africa and 80 per cent in Spain).

Although aquifer systems exist in all continents, not all of them are renewable. For example, those in north Africa and the Arabian peninsula were formed more than 10,000 years ago when the climate was more humid and are no longer replenished. In some regions, even if the aquifers are renewable - being fed on a regular basis by rainfall - they are in some cases endangered by over-exploitation or pollution. In the small islands and coastal zones of the Mediterranean, populations often use groundwater more rapidly than it is replenished.

The aquifers in Africa, however, which are some of the biggest in the world, are still largely under-exploited. They have considerable potential, provided that their resources are managed on a sustainable basis. Since they generally extend across several State boundaries, their exploitation presupposes agreed management mechanisms in order, for example, to prevent pollution or over-exploitation by particular States.

Mechanisms of this kind have begun to emerge in recent years. For example, in the 1990s Chad, Egypt, Libya and Sudan established a joint authority to manage the Nubian aquifer system in a concerted manner. In their project concerning the Iullemeden aquifer, Niger, Nigeria and Mali approved in principle a consultative mechanism for administering the aquifer system. But such mechanisms are the exception.

The draft Convention on transboundary aquifers, prepared by the United Nations International Law Commission with the assistance of experts from UNESCO's International Hydrological Programme (IHP), is therefore intended to fill a gap in the law. The text which was submitted to the General Assembly of the United Nations on 27 October, calls on aquifer States not to harm existing aquifers, to cooperate and to prevent and control their pollution.

Links:

Factfile: Groundwater depletion and pollution

Falling water tables threaten grain harvests

Final Declaration of the "Union for the Mediterranean ministerial conference"

2008-11-04T00:00:00Z

On 3 and 4 November 2008 Marseille (France) hosted the ministerial conference of the member countries of the "Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean".

The ministerial conference, which brought together the foreign ministers from the member countries of the Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean, took place in Marseille on 3 and 4 November and aimed at working towards implementing the ambition for a strengthened partnership around the Mediterranean renewed by the Heads of State or Government at the Paris summit on 13 July.
Joint Declaration of the Paris Summit for the Mediterranean - Paris, 13 July 2008 (FR-EN-AR)

The three main items on the agenda were: reviewing the new concrete partnership projects and their implementation; clarifying the new governance introduced by the Union for the Mediterranean; and political dialogue on the regional situation.

Ministers adopted the 2009 work programme for the Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean (which they decided to call "Union for the Mediterranean") at the meeting. Sectoral meetings set to take place next year should fully reflect the emphasis placed on implementing concrete projects in the six areas identified at the 13 July summit, and projects of which the ministers will conduct an initial review.

Ministers decided that the League of Arab States shall participate in all meetings at all levels of the Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean, therefore contributing positively to the objectives of the process, namely the achievement of peace, prosperity and stability in the Mediterranean region. In addition, they reaffirmed their commitment to achieve a just, comprehensive, and lasting olution to the Arab-Israeli conflict, consistent with the terms of reference of the Madrid Conference and its principles, including land for peace, and based on the relevant UNSC resolutions and the Road Map. Ministers also stress the importance of the Arab Peace Initiative and underline their support for efforts to promote progress on all tracks of the Middle East Peace Process.

The seat of the Secretariat will be in Barcelona. A Headquarters Agreement between the host country and the Secretariat will ensure the autonomous status of the latter, its legal personality to carry out its activities and the status, privileges and immunities of the Secretariat and its international personnel. The Headquarters Agreement shall be concluded before May 2009.

On the matter of the governance of the Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean, Ministers decide to continue their consultations in line with the mandate given by Heads of State and Government at the Paris Summit. Ministers agree that delegations may submit their proposals to the French-Egyptian co-presidency, which undertakes to consult Heads of State and Government, notably on the modalities for the establishment of the Secretariat and the new name for the Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean.

ENB Vol. 4 No. 210 - UNCCD CRIC 7 and CST First Special Session (Desertification) - Issue #2

2008-11-04T00:00:00Z

The seventh session of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC 7) and first special session of the Committee on Science and Technology (CST S-1) of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) opened in Istanbul, Turkey, on Monday, 3 November 2008. The joint opening plenary meeting of the two-week session heard opening statements from its Turkish hosts, UNCCD leaders, and some regional groups. Regional groups then convened on Monday afternoon and all day Tuesday, 4 November.

Veysel Eroğlu, Minister of Environment and Forestry of Turkey, said desertification is one of the most important environmental issues at present and emphasized that it causes poverty, migration, unemployment, and food and security threats. He highlighted the role that the ten-year strategic plan (the Strategy) can play in reducing poverty. Eroğlu stressed the importance of cooperation at the regional as well as international levels. Arguing that “we cannot let the soil disappear in silence”.

Catalonian Desalination Expanding with ERI® Technology

2008-11-05T00:00:00Z

Energy Recovery, Inc. (“ERI”) (NASDAQ:ERII), a global leader of ultra-high-efficiency energy recovery products and technology for desalination, announced that it was awarded the energy recovery contract for the expansion of the Tordera seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination plant near Barcelona. The production capacity of the plant will double to 55,000 m³/d (14.5 MGD) of fresh water. The Tordera plant expansion will be constructed by a consortium consisting of Spanish companies, ACCIONA AGUA, AQUALIA and FCC.

ERI will supply 60 PX-260 devices to replace outdated turbine-based energy recovery devices that are less energy efficient. With ERI’s ceramic isobaric PX technology, the plant will be able to reduce energy consumption by over 2 million kilowatt hours per year or 16%. In addition, the capacity of the plant will increase with no new high-pressure pumps. SWRO plants formerly equipped with turbines in areas such as the Caribbean, Middle East, China and Europe also have been retrofitted with PX technology and enjoyed similar savings percentages and capacity increases.

In the past few years, Barcelona and surrounding areas have been suffering from drought conditions which put restrictions on the usage of water for swimming pools, fountains and lawns. Earlier this year, the Catalonian region was importing drinking water by barge due to the severity of the situation. Although rains inundated the region recently, government utilities are investing in expanding existing capacity and building new capacity to provide reliable, secure water resources for the future.

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About ERI®
Energy Recovery, Inc. (ERI) is a leading manufacturer of energy recovery devices which help make desalination affordable by significantly reducing energy consumption. ERI’s PX Pressure Exchanger® (PX®) device is a rotary positive displacement pump that recovers energy from the high pressure reject stream of SWRO systems at up to 98% efficiency with no downtime or scheduled maintenance.
The company has research, development and manufacturing facilities in the San Francisco technology corridor as well as direct sales offices and technical support centers in key desalination hubs such as Madrid, UAE, Shanghai and Florida. ERI service representatives are based in Algeria, Australia, China, India, Korea, Mexico, Taiwan and the Caribbean.
As the demand for clean, potable water increases, ERI is poised to face the global challenges ahead. For more information on ERI and PX technology, please visit our web site at www.energyrecovery.com.

2008-11-05T00:00:00Z

Director, Center for Environmental Health Activities (CEHA), WHO/EMRO, Jordan [deadline 01 Dec]

2008-11-06T00:00:00Z

Duty Station: Amman, Jordan
Grade: D1
Annual Salary: (Net of tax) US$ 89,129 at single rate, US$ 96,427 with primary dependants, post Adjustment - 42.1 %
Contract type: fixed-term appointment

Main responsibility:

The incumbent who is the first level supervisor of various professionals (presently six) and general staff (presently eight) will be responsible for the overall planning, coordination, integration and direction of the work of the Centre for Environmental Health Activities (CEHA), and will provide technical, administrative and financial guidance and support to the staff.

Requirements include:

Engineering degree with post-graduate degree in Sanitary/Environmental Engineering from an institution of recognized standing, PhD desirable
At least 10 year relevant experience at senior level positions
Excellent knowledge of English, working knowledge of Arabic and/or French desirable

Application deadline: 1 December 2008.

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Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)

Manager at WWF

2008-11-06T00:00:00Z

Job Category: Administrative

Job Category: Policy & Lobbying

Job Experience: 3 to 5 years

Expiration date: 16 November 2008

The Pulp and Paper Footprint Programme has the broad goal of reducing the ecological footprint of global pulp and paper production.

In this role, the Manager will lead, catalyze, organize and coordinate the WWF Network’s pulp and paper programme. He/she will also effectively represent WWF on issues relating to the pulp and paper sector, cultivate high-level partnership at the board room and ministerial levels and ensure the synergy and integration of the pulp and paper programme with other relevant programmes in WWF.

The key requirements are:

* A degree in a relevant discipline (e.g. business, forestry, economics)
* Excellent knowledge of the pulp and paper sector and related conservation issues
* At least 5 years of relevant professional experience in an NGO or the private sector, preferably with the forest products sector
* Proven experience as an effective manager working within a decentralized network
* Experience in partnership relations management, fundraising and marketing
* Familiarity of working with governments, aid agencies, and NGOs
* Demonstrate leadership and supervisory skills
* Ability to mentor and develop multi-disciplinary, multi-cultural teams and individuals
* Strong oral and verbal communications skills
* Programme management experience and excellent interpersonal skills
* Adheres to WWF’s values, which are: Passionate & Optimistic, Challenging & Inspiring, Credible & Accountable, Persevering & Delivering Results.

This position will be based in a WWF office in Europe (to be determined).

Interested candidates should e-mail a cover letter and CV to recruitments@wwfint.org .
For further information on this position, please refer to the attached job description.

2008-11-06T00:00:00Z

IWRA Newsletter, October 2008, Volume 21, issue 3

2008-11-12T00:00:00Z

Compendium of Sanitation Systems and Technologies Now Available for Download

2008-11-12T00:00:00Z

Abundant information exists about sanitation solutions and technologies but it is scattered throughout hundreds of books and journals. The "Compendium of Sanitation Systems and Technologies", a new guidebook produced by the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag) and the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC), pulls this information together in one volume. By ordering and structuring a huge range of information in one place, the reader is provided with a useful planning and reference tool. There are two main sections in the compendium: 1) description of different system configurations at the macro scale, and 2) different technology information sheets describing the main advantages, disadvantages, applications and the appropriateness of the technologies required to build a comprehensive sanitation system.
This compendium is primarily addressed to planners, engineers, development experts dealing with sanitation, NGOs and donors. It is being launched officially this week at the World Toilet Summit & Expo in Macao. You can download the publication as a PDF from WSSCC here or from Eawag here. A hard-copy can be ordered by writing to info@sandec.ch.

New tool improves integrated river basin management

2008-11-12T00:00:00Z

A new computer system has been shown to provide a 'full picture' of a river basin's health, by taking into account all relevant influences, including rainfall, pollution and soil. The system integrates several existing environmental data programmes in a user-friendly way, and is aimed at helping the sustainable management of entire river catchment areas.

The system, called the 'Elbe-DSS' (Elbe decision support system) will help users meet the requirements of the European Water Framework Directive¹ on water quality, especially in cross-border situations. It was designed and implemented by the researchers for the river Elbe, one of the largest rivers in central Europe: 1100 km long and with a catchment area of 148,000km².

The system brings together a range of components including:

Simulation models, representing the effect of different inputs such as rainfall, nutrient levels, and climate changes
Databases including soil maps and rainfall records
Management actions such as reforestation or erosion control
External constraints such as demographic change or agriculture policy
Management objectives such as reduction of emissions, improvement of water quality, or reduction of nutrients into the sea

The system is designed to help coordinate strategies for managing river basins. It helps to predict the likely outcome of management actions, as well as the range of possible options needed to achieve specific objectives. For example, the system could predict how the river would be affected by changes in agricultural methods, such as reducing fertiliser levels or introducing reforestation programmes, taking into account soil types and climate. The system could also be used to determine the effect of changes in emission levels from sewage works or industry, should changes occur in the population or activities along the river.

The researchers found that the system satisfactorily simulated the concentrations of nutrients or pollutants across the whole river basin, and could also be applied at sub-catchment or tributary level. This would provide insights into why smaller catchment areas respond differently to the same action, for example, revealing where nutrient concentrations would be higher due to lower flow rates. This enables more targeted and cost-effective actions to be taken. It also enables management actions to be ranked in importance, depending on cost, assumptions about future climate change and demographic changes.

The system is available free of charge for not-for-profit or research institutions from the German Federal Institute of Hydrology (BfG)².

European Water Framework Directive - http://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/water-framework/index_en.html
Download from: http://elise.bafg.de/?3283

A career with UNICEF - New and Emerging Talent Initiative

2008-11-12T00:00:00Z

UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund, works in over 150 countries and territories globally. Guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, UNICEF is the driving force that helps humanity unite for children to build a world where the rights of every child are realized.

UNICEF is seeking committed professionals to join the New and Emerging Talent Initiative (NETI) programme in March 2009 in the following areas of UNICEF's work:

Social and Economic Policy, Gender Equality, Human Rights, Adolescent Development,

Monitoring and Evaluation, Planning, Communication for Development, Public-sector Alliances and Resource Mobilization, Emergency Programmes, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, Health, Nutrition, HIV/AIDS, Child Protection, Education, Finance and Administration, Supply/Logistics, Information Communication Technology, Human Resources.

NETI is an entry point to UNICEF for external candidates for entry- to mid-career level professionals interested in an international career. It provides the selected participants with a range of opportunities to develop their experience, knowledge and skills, in a multicultural environment within the development and humanitarian arenas, while delivering results for children.

Work Assignment:

NETI participants will be given a one-year appointment.

Participants will spend their first two-months with one of UNICEF's divisions at its New York headquarters based on their area of specialization.

Participants will then go to an assigned duty station for the remaining ten months. Participants will be reviewed throughout the year and, on the basis of merit and

performance, will be considered for regular staff positions.

Qualifications:

A completed Masters degree (or equivalent) in a relevant field;

Proficiency in English and proven working knowledge at least in one of the following languages - Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish;

Preferably possess 4 to 5 years of relevant experience, including work in developing countries and in a multi-cultural environment;

Willingness and availability to be assigned to any office around the world including hardship duty stations.

How to apply:

Please see the full programme outline on the UNICEF website at: http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/index_46145.html

Applications will be accepted on-line until 23 November 2008.

UNICEF is committed to gender equality in its mandate and its staff. Well qualified candidates, particularly females, are strongly encouraged to apply.