MENA NWC
Middle East and North Africa
Network of Water Centers of Excellence
MENA NWC
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE FIRST BIENNIAL
CONGRESS: OPTIMIZING WATER MANAGEMENT
IN A CHANGING WORLD
MUSCAT, OMAN
November 9–11, 2015
MENA NWC
Middle East and North Africa Network of Water Centers of Excellence
MENA NWC
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE FIRST BIENNIAL CONGRESS:
OPTIMIZING WATER MANAGEMENT IN A CHANGING
WORLD
MUSCAT, OMAN
NOVEMBER 9–11, 2015
The authors’ views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views
of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States
Government.
Submitted by: Further Advancing the Blue Revolution Initiative (FABRI)
USAID – DAI Contract No. AID-EPP-00-04-00023
TABLE OF CONTENTS
BACKGROUND ......................................................................................................... 1
DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
ACTIVITIES OF THE NETWORK ................................................................................ 2
1: MENA NWC MEMBERS AND AFFILIATES ......................................................... 6
Summary of the Proceedings of First Biennial Congress: Optimizing Water
Management in a Changing World, Muscat, Oman .............................................. 6
ANNEX 2: PARTICIPANT REACTIONS TO PRESENTATIONS ............................ 19
ANNEX 3: PARTICIPANT RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS .................................... 25
ANNEX 4: COUNTRY SPECIFIC ISSUES, LESSONS LEARNED ......................... 30
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ACRONYMS
ACWUA
Arab Countries Water Utilities Association
AGM
Assembly of Governing Members
AGU
Arabian Gulf University
AGYA
Arab-German Young Academy of Sciences and Humanities
ANU
An-Najah National University
ASU
Ain Shams University
BBAW
the Berlin Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities
CAU
Cadi Ayyad University
Hassan II
IAV
Institute of Agronomy and Veterinary Science Hassan II
ICARDA
International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas
ICBA
International Center for Biosaline Agriculture
INRGREF
National Research Institute for Rural Engineering, Water, and Forestry
IWMI
International Water Management Institute
JUST
Jordan University of Science and Technology
MEDRC
Middle East Desalination Research Center
MENA NWC
Middle East and North Africa Network of Water Centers of Excellence
MIST
MASDAR Institute of Science and Technology
NCARE
National Center for Agricultural Research and Extension
ONEE-IEA
National Office of Electricity and Potable Water, International Institute for
Water and Sanitation
QF R&D
Qatar Foundation Research & Development
ROPME
Regional Organization for the Protection of the Marine Environment
RSS
Royal Scientific Society
SCADA
Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition
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SQU
Sultan Qaboos University
TU Dresden
Technische Universitat
UAE
United Arab Emirates
WWT
wastewater treatment
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BACKGROUND
Launched in December 2011, the Middle East and North Africa Network of Water
Centers of Excellence (MENA NWC) convened its First Biennial Congress in Muscat,
Oman, on November 9–11, 2015. The goal was for the Network’s 24-member water
research Centers and Affiliates to define a research agenda that addressed water
needs in MENA—one of the most arid regions in the world—especially research with
potential for impacts at scale. The event was co-hosted by the Network’s two Centers in
Oman: Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) and the Middle East Desalination Research
Center (MEDRC). By convening approximately 80 research scientists, the private
sector, donor partners, and government officials, this event launched the Network on a
new, more entrepreneurial business model.
Active members of the Network include 19 national water research Centers from 13
MENA countries, and five international and regional Centers (ICBA, IWMI, ICARDA,
MEDRIC and ACWUA). In addition, the Network includes global Affiliates from
Germany, the Netherlands, and the United States (See Annex 1).
Agenda: Timed to coincide with the conclusion of the Network’s first round of
sponsored research projects—24 total, described below—the event aimed to:

Bring research clients, investors, and researchers together to identify research
priorities.

Define applied research that could respond to client and investor priorities.

Stimulate communities of practice on water management issues and knowledge
sharing.

Review research in progress and expected impacts, including links to policy
development and investment by public and private sectors.
Researchers and scientists from the Network’s member Centers and partnering
institutions shared findings and impacts in five technical areas: 1) groundwater
management, 2) water supply and sanitation, 3) nonconventional water, 4) water
efficiency and productivity, and 5) the water/energy/food nexus. The group also
reviewed work by the Network’s eight Young Water Scientists (pictured) and 10 Water
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1
Innovations Fellows, who explained their small grant-funded activities. Their impacts
were captured in an Excellence and Impact of Research Working Paper that will be
widely distributed in 2016.
The event also enabled the Network’s Board of Directors to hold its Annual Meeting and
convene the Network’s Assembly of Governing Members (AGM), which represents the
Network’s 24-member water research Centers.
Discussion and Recommendations for
Future Activities by the Network
The three-day event gave opportunity for the Network’s five Technical Communities to
meet and explore current research and knowledge-sharing initiatives. These
Communities discussed priorities for research and agreed to continue engaging through
the Network’s online communities of practice supported by the Network’s recently
launched website (www.menanwc.org). Highlights of the Technical Communities’
discussions included:

Water Efficiency and Productivity: Participants reviewed
approaches including modern irrigation technology, crop water
productivity maps, drought monitoring through regional
cooperation and data sharing, and promoting water-use
efficiency through the school system, which could have
dramatic impacts in a region where most people are below age
40. The Network can share lessons learned in water saving by
households and communities, as well as by farms that apply
real-time monitoring systems of crop water requirements. Research can focus on
improving understanding of policy and economic issues that affect the adoption of
water management tools at the farm and household levels.
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
Water Supply and Sanitation: Participants reviewed
approaches to expanding access to sanitation for unsewered
communities, and outlined priority locales for testing appropriate,
affordable, and locally available wastewater treatment units.
Future research should target low-cost technologies, financial
sustainability of water services, and community participation and
socioeconomic factors influencing decentralized wastewater
treatment (WWT) and environmental impact. In addition, the Network could share
data about climate change and its impact on flood and drought vulnerability and
adaptation measures in select urban centers.

Non-Conventional Water: Participants reviewed advances in
treatment and processing of wastewater using natural materials.
The discussion focused on how to mitigate the environmental
risks of wastewater reuse. The group also reviewed work on the
fabrication of green nanoparticle membrane components from
local material in partnership with the private sector. Participants
reviewed priority research issues related to the use of saline and
brackish water, including the financial, economic, and
environmental risks associated with this practice; the scientific
management of salt balance in soil, water, and plants; the use of modern, lowenergy membranes; and how to increase the economic value of desalination through
innovative use of saline water for aquaculture and forestry.

Groundwater: Participants discussed technologies to map deep
aquifers, including radar probing and sounding, and the need for
updating data collection and resource assessment. Other issues
highlighted include the economic and sustainable management
of aquifers, aquifer recharge using treated wastewater, the
health and environmental risks of groundwater use in select
communities—including purification from heavy and toxic
metals—and depletion of water resources.

Water, Energy, and Food Nexus: This focused on desalination,
reducing the environmental footprint of increasing the use of
water and energy for food production, and on approaches to
harness solar energy for pumping groundwater. Participants
highlighted the importance of increasing investment in this area
to better understand the interaction between agriculture and
crop production, increasing need for water and energy, and
implications of climate change on this challenging nexus.
Linking Science, Market Development, and Public Policy: In separate sessions,
donors, government officials, and representatives from the private sector and Network
Affiliates shared their assessment with participating scientists about the need for
stronger links in the water sector. Issues raised included the value-added dimensions of
regional research to national-level studies, role of the private sector in translating
research results into marketable products, and need for economic analysis for
developing and managing complex water services under increasing conditions of
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scarcity. Donors, public officials, and private sector representatives suggested that the
Network should promote multi-country and multidisciplinary research to enhance the
regional features of the Network. The value of research findings can be enhanced
through the participation of communities and end users in its design and
implementation. This approach requires research to carefully assess the social, cultural,
and economic factors that affect interventions in the water sector.
In summary, the Network’s research agenda should go beyond exploring technology
and engineering solutions and include the policy, economic, financial, and social
dimensions of decision-making for managing and developing water resources and
associated services. Specifically, the agenda should consider:

Addressing policy development and economic analysis of water issues challenging
the region.

Enhancing information sharing across the Network, especially lessons learned and
experiences in policy planning and maximizing research impact.

Linking the research agenda with policy and investment priorities.

Expanding multidisciplinary studies on water issues related to the environment,
economic growth, urbanization, poverty reduction, youth, and gender.

Continued capacity building for scientists to improve working skills and management
and for policy makers and water practitioners to enhance water resource
development, management, and services.
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Financial and Institutional Challenges Facing MENA NWC
The extensive and productive discussions at the First Biennial Congress were carried
out within a challenging financial situation affecting the future of the Network, even as
some of its first initiatives are producing tangible results. These results include
affordable wastewater sanitation units introduced in rural Morocco and Jordan,
improved membranes that filter wastewater for irrigation in Israel and Jordan, and realtime soil monitoring technology introduced in various countries that increased water
productivity by 20 percent. These represent a fraction of what can be accomplished in
the MENA water sector when its people, organizations, and institutions work together.
The Network’s Board of Directors and Directorate are working closely with USAID–
which generously funded the Network’s launch and first phase–and with member
Centers to broaden support as the Network transitions to a robust regional program.
The next phase will be a multi-donor partnership with the Network’s national and
regional Centers to enhance scientific foundations, and strengthen links between
research, policy, and capacity building. The Board of Directors has given the Directorate
a mandate to work with member Centers to update the governance and institutional
structure of the Network to best facilitate these next steps. A commitment to long-term
institutional and financial support from governments in the region is also critical to
solidifying Network operations and expanding water sector services.
MENA’s water sector is facing complex challenges driven by population growth,
increasing scarcity of and damage to water resources, and the effect of climate change
on drought and floods. These are compounded by political instability in the region that
has caused the migration of thousands of people seeking safety and stability. Each of
the new and established communities in MENA needs safe water and economic
opportunities. Now more than ever, strong partnerships need to be brokered between
scientists, policy makers, and all stakeholders to address these challenges and
effectively guide the short- and long-term management of MENA’s water sector.
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ANNEX 1: MENA NWC
MEMBERS AND AFFILIATES
SUMMARY OF PROCEEDINGS, FIRST BIENNIAL CONGRESS:
OPTIMIZING WATER MANAGEMENT IN A CHANGING WORLD
MUSCAT, OMAN, NOVEMBER 9–11, 2015
Structure and Procedures of the Congress: The Congress was designed to
maximize participation in the design and management of each session. The process
allowed for extensive discussion and encouraged participants to form teams to review
and discuss:

The objectives, results, and lessons learned from the 24 research projects by MENA
NWC grants.

MENA NWC strategic objectives and activities in an entrepreneurial and competitive
world.

Lessons learned from research on the MENA NWC priority themes:
 Groundwater management
 Water supply and sanitation
 Nonconventional water
 Water efficiency and productivity
 Nexus of water/food/energy

Lessons learned from country experiences in Tunisia, Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon,
Egypt, Morocco, GCC (Oman, Bahrain, UAE, and Kuwait), and Yemen.
The annexes below present the overview of comments made by the nine teams:

Annex 1 presents the Network members and Day 1 activities, including presentation
of the 24 MENA NWC-funded projects. Comments were summarized, allowing
researchers and teams to share views further with colleagues in the Congress.

Annex 2 includes summary points raised by donors, the private sector, and Affiliates
along with researchers from participating Centers about the current work and future
direction of MENA NWC.

Annex 3 summarizes participants’ points about the MENA NWC main themes.

Annex 4 summarizes country experiences and lessons learned.
MENA NSC MEMBERS
Algeria: Pan African University.
Bahrain: Arabian Gulf University (AGU).
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Egypt: Ain Shams University (ASU).
Iraq: Marine Science Centre, University of Basrah.
Israel: Jacob Blaustein Institute for Desert Research; Ben-Gurion University of the
Negev, Grand Water Research Institute; Technion Israel Institute of Technology.
Jordan: Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST); National Center for
Agricultural Research and Extension (NCARE); Royal Scientific Society (RSS);
University of Jordan.
Morocco: Cadi Ayyad University (CAU); Institute of Agronomy and Veterinary Science
Hassan II (Hassan II IAV); International Institute for Water and Sanitation; National
Office of Electricity and Potable Water (ONEE-IEA).
Oman: Water Research Center, Sultan Qaboos University.
Qatar: Qatar Foundation Research & Development (QF R&D).
Tunisia: National Research Institute for Rural Engineering, Water, and Forestry
(INRGREF).
United Arab Emirates: MASDAR Institute of Science and Technology (MIST).
West Bank: Water and Environmental Studies Institute, An-Najah National University
(ANU).
Yemen: Water and Environment Centre, Sana’a University.
International Centers: Arab Countries Water Utilities Association (ACWUA),
International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA), International
Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA), International Water Management Institute
(IWMI), Middle East Desalination Research Center (MEDRC).
Global Affiliates: UNESCO Institute for Water Education, Netherlands; Helmoltz
Center for Environmental Research, UFZ, Germany; Technische Universitat (TU
Dresden), Germany; Arab-German Young Academy of Sciences and Humanities
(AGYA) at the Berlin Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities (BBAW).
Affiliated But Not Member Centers: Al Quds University, West Bank; American
University in Beirut, Lebanon.
International Research Partners:

California Institute of Technology, USA.

DHI Group, United Arab Emirates.

Georgia Institute of Technology, USA.

ICT International, Australia.

Regional Organization for the Protection of the Marine Environment (ROPME),
Kuwait.
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
Stockholm Environment Institute – US Center.

University of Nebraska – Lincoln, Nebraska USA.

University of Santa Cruz, California, USA.

University of Toledo, Ohio, USA.

University of Rhode Island, USA.

Utah State University, USA.

Wageningen University, The Netherlands.

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, USA.
Overview of MENA NWC-Funded Water Projects Discussed During the Day-Long
Research Fair
Description
Project
Expanding Access to
Sanitation for
Unsewered
Communities
(Policy, Research,
and Development
Grants Program, or
PR&D)
Problem: Many people in Morocco and Jordan do not have wastewater
facilities, so they dispose of sewage into surface waters or landscape.
 Methodology: Conducting field research with municipalities. Convened
focus groups.
 Selected appropriate, affordable wastewater treatment units using multidimensional ranking. Built three wastewater treatment pilots: multi-soil
layering filters, modified septic tank, and septic-tank and re-circulated
constructed wetland and nanoparticle filter.
 Studied socioeconomic impact.
Morocco and Jordan
Key findings:
 Found appropriate and affordable solution for decentralized WWT for
unsewered communities.
 Involving all stakeholders was instrumental during implementation.
 Working with six communities enhanced our research.
Impact:
 Improved quality of life of rural communities.
Global Yield Gap and
Water Productivity
Atlas (U.S.-Middle
East Partnerships)
Jordan, Morocco,
and Tunisia
Goal: Global carrying capacity for food production and the ability to protect
carbon-rich and biodiverse natural ecosystems from conversion to cropland
ultimately depend on achieving maximum possible yields on every hectare of
currently used arable land. This project aims to produce the first Global Yield
Gap Atlas for Morocco, Jordan, and Tunisia. It will serve as a transparent,
reproducible, agronomically accurate, interactive map-based web platform for
estimating the exploitable gaps in yield for the four major food crops in each
country.
Method: Agro-climatic zonation (CZ)




Used simulation modeling to estimate yield potentials and gaps.
Collected weather, soil, crop management and yield data.
Determined reference weather stations, better zones for each crop.
Upscale to CZ, regional, and national levels.
www.yieldgap.org
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Description
Project
Promoting Water
Use Efficiency in
Green Schools
(Young Water
Scientist
Partnerships, or
YWSP)
Jordan
Background: 70 percent of Jordan’s population is under 40 years old.
 6,500 schools (1.7 million students).
 6 percent of Jordan's youth are aware of water crisis.
Methodology:




Green school committees formed.
Build capacity of committee members (water, soft skills).
Environmental review—monitoring and evaluation tool.
Sustainability environmental actions (groundwater systems, rainwater
harvest systems, drip irrigation, school gardens, water saving devices,
community garden).
Key Findings: Motivated students>self-determination, involvement, behavior
change. Education system lacks practical components. Never underestimate
government school students.
Urban Wastewater
Systems and Climate
Change (Water
Innovation
Fellowship Small
Grants Program, or
WIF)
Activities:
 Assessed urban flood vulnerability, climate change impact on sewers, and
adaptation measures.
 Flood data and climate change analyses at regional level; modeling flood
vulnerability using Mikeflood and ArcGIS.
 Communication with stakeholders; adopted structural measures.
Impact:
Morocco
Water Saving Toilet
Flushing System
(WIF)
 Less damages (human and economic), more interaction with population
and LYDEC (Moroccan private water supplier).
Problem: Flushing uses too much water.
Methodology: Use pressurized air to flush toilets; “fresh water” used to assist
and replace.
Key Findings: In progress; preliminary results encouraging.
Jordan
Impact: Reduce water use in toilet flushing; water efficiency.
Lessons Learned: Feasibility established; system design complicated.
Using of Green
Nanoparticles as a
Biofouling-Resistant
Agent in Reverse
Osmosis
Desalination (PR&D)
Jordan and Morocco
Objective: Address major technical challenge in the use of membranes for
desalination and wastewater treatment: mitigation of membrane biofouling
due to rejected organic matter and microbes. Most R&D in this area has
focused on pretreatment of feed water, improved cleaning solutions, and
cleaning procedures. This project takes a materials approach: developing
biofouling-resistant nanocomposite membranes impregnated with green silver
ions, from synthesis to macro scale production, and investigating and testing
membrane performance.
Result:
 Strengthened capacity of researchers in the development and production
of advanced reverse osmosis membranes.
 Development of prototype biofouling resistant nanocomposite membranes.
The research team has progressed toward fabrication of biofouling
resistant nanocomposite membranes and testing of membranes on Jordan
brackish water and Morocco seawater. They are now working toward
silver nanoparticles synthesis and fabrication. After refining the
nanoparticle and membrane production procedures, the research team will
develop scalable techniques to manufacture the membranes. This is an
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE FIRST BIENNIAL CONGRESS: OPTIMIZING
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Description
Project
important step in producing membranes for bench-scale testing and
demonstrating that they can be produced commercially.
Upgrading Treatment
Processes to
Improve Effluent
Quality for Irrigation
(PR&D)
Israel and Jordan
Problem: The scarcity of fresh water in the Middle East and North Africa and
the need to provide nutrition to an expanding population combine to make
irrigation with treated wastewater effluents an imperative. Most MENA
countries have long recognized this and to varying degrees have irrigated
crops using treated wastewater. It is evident that the quality of effluents must
be raised above the secondary level to avoid negative effects on soils, crops,
and the environment.
Objective: Test the use of ultrafiltration (UF) and reverse osmosis (RO)
membrane treatment technologies to achieve the required effluent quality for
irrigation, test the effluents on crops, and maintain feasibility of cost and
implementation under prevailing conditions in the region. This combined effort
by Palestinian, Jordanian, and Israeli researchers and practitioners utilizes
experience gained in previous joint projects.
Results:
 Improved membrane treatment system, lowering cost of effluent
treatment.
 Improve irrigation water efficiency.
 Decision-support system for practitioners and decision-makers for optimal
use of TWW for irrigation.
Key finding: Integration of clay micelles with membranes produces better
water quality.
Purification of
Groundwater from
Heavy Toxic Metals
(WIF)
West Bank
Objective: Implement and test new approach to removing toxic materials
from groundwater that would replace chlorine as the main method used to
purify water in the West Bank.
Methodology: Preparation of chelation polydentate nitrogen atomssupported ligands; installed using sol-gel or polymerization.
 Project was successful to optimize the removal efficiency by studying
several factors: PH, temperature, concentration, dosage effect, absorption
isotherms, kinetics, and thermodynamics.
 Removal efficiency reached 92 percent for some metals.
 There is still much to learn regarding regeneration.
 Future application will be for water filtering.
Mitigating
Environmental Risks
of Wastewater Reuse
for Agriculture
(PR&D)
Challenge: The use of treated wastewater (TWW) in agriculture has become
imperative in MENA; however, TWW often contains high concentrations of
salts, heavy metals, and pathogens. Irrigation with TWW can decrease soil
pH and increase salinity, as well as soil phosphorous, potassium, iron, and
manganese levels. Research has identified emerging pollutants with unknown
effects on the environment and human health.
Oman, Jordan, and
Tunisia
Activities: Identify tools to optimize treated wastewater reuse in conjunction
with other available water resources by taking into consideration their quantity
and quality, in addition to agronomic, environmental, and economic
components. Field research results will be synthesized to develop a decision
support tool for policy-makers and farmers to maximize wastewater reuse and
farmers’ income while holding health and environmental impacts to
acceptable levels.
The project consists of interrelated elements: assess TWW quality; assess
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Description
Project
farmers’ practices and the performance of cereals, vegetable, fruit, and
fodder crops irrigated with TWW; monitor the impact of irrigation with TWW
and conventional water resources on soil physicochemical properties;
characterize impacts on groundwater resulting from irrigation with TWW
through groundwater vulnerability; study risks of using TWW in irrigation on
the health of farmers and consumers.
Application of NearReal Time
Monitoring Systems
for Irrigated
Agriculture (PR&D)
UAE, Oman, Jordan,
Tunisia, and Yemen
Objective: Improve water productivity and water conservation at the farm.
Farm trials were conducted with technology platforms.
Activities:
 Test and demonstrate weather, soil, and plant sensor systems to improve
irrigation efficiency in different environments, production systems, and
scales, in cooperation with the private sector and national research and
outreach systems.
 Develop knowledge and data sharing platform to support collaboration and
the sharing of science, technology and experience among investigators
and stakeholders.
Results: Water productivity increased 20 percent through technology
platforms used.
Understanding the
Dynamics of
Managed Aquifer
Recharge (MAR)
Using Treated
Wastewater (PR&D)
Objective: Evaluate MAR schemes and optimize recovery efficiency, safety,
and economic benefit.
Oman and Jordan

Activities:
 Field measurements and analytical of numerical modeling:

— Feasibility of MAR on replenishment and sustainability of water
resources.
— Mitigation of seawater intrusion in coastal aquifers.
Emphasizing importance of having MAR guidelines:
— Recommend MAR for suitable geological settings.
— Develop toolbox to address MAR concerns.
Collaboration:
— Understanding different settings.
— Work in a natural MAR situation.
The project team has already begun to increase awareness of MAR through
workshops, media articles, and research papers.
Combating the
Emerging Impacts of
Harmful Algal
Blooms (HABs) (U.S.
– Middle East
Partnership)
Oman and UAE
Objective: HABs can deplete the oxygen and block the sunlight that other
organisms need to live. Some produce toxins that are harmful to the
environment, plants, animals, and people. HABs also disrupt desalination
operations by clogging intake filters, fouling surfaces, and compromising
membranes. These impacts can be severe. The aim is to predict real-time
HAB events to alert desalination plant operators to the presence and
predicted transport pathways of algal blooms, allowing them to be more
responsive and prepared.
Activities: An international research team led by the Middle East
Desalination Research Center (MEDRC) in Oman will use satellite remote
sensing and numerical modeling technology to develop an early warning
system. A demonstration project is proposed at Barka, a desalination facility
in Oman that was shut down during the 2008-2009 HAB. Other validation
sites will be included in Oman and possibly the east coast of the United Arab
Emirates (UAE).
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Description
Project
Improving
Economics of Using
Saline Water in Arid
and Semi-Arid Areas
Through Integrated
Aqua-Agriculture
Systems (IAAS)
(YWSP)
Objective: Transform brine production from reverse osmosis units into a
water resource used to grow aquatic species and halophytic crops.
Methodology: Financial analysis are conducted to improve the economics of
the system and literature review.
Process: International Center for Biosaline Agriculture runs a pilot-scale
IAAS; 100 m3 of desalinated water and 150 m3 of brine produced.
Results: The fish grow successfully. Halophytic Grosses: Good yield.
United Arab
Emirates and Sri
Lanka
Minimizing Risk
Hazard By Using
Nanotechnology for
Water Disinfection
(YWSP)
Jordan and Morocco
Objective: Providing safe potable water for remote areas by developing a
concept for low-cost effective treatment.
Methodology: Testing the potential of natural material water disinfection;
enhance the efficiency of the selected material by producing nano-composite.
Key Finding: Material rich with oxidation—such as Fe2O3—are affecting the
disinfection up to 50 percent. Nanoparticles enhance the disinfection up to 85
percent.
Application: Testing by designing treatment systems to check the validity of
the concept.
BIG Data for Water
Management (WIF)
Objective: Develop new methods for collecting large volumes of structured
and unstructured data and prototyping a new methodology to analyze and
process data more efficiently.
Morocco
Activities:
 Develop module with sensors for climate change modeling, water smart
metering, and hydrological modeling
Challenge: Managing this kind of data.
Economical
Separation of
Soluble Phenolic
Compounds from
Olive Mill
Wastewater (WIF)
Jordan
Objective: Develop an environmentally friendly and cost-effective surface
active media for sequestering organic and phenolic compounds from olive mill
wastewater.
Activities:




Handling and disposing olive mill wastewater.
Remediation approach using surface active media.
Screening and selecting best material.
Separation happened/water problem solved.
Impact: Significant reduction in pollution; need to reduce surfactant and
recover more solid and water.
Participatory
Planning for
Improving Water-Use
Efficiency in River
Basins (PR&D)
Tunisia, Jordan, and
Objective: Apply the Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) decision
support tool to analyze water system performance and identify strategies to
improve performance under conditions of change.
Result: Robust responses to water and natural resources management
problems identified at different scales and under various socio-economic and
environmental conditions. Research results disseminated and utilized by key
decision making bodies such as river basin authorities and line-ministries.
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Description
Project
Morocco
Utilizing Solar
Energy for Water
Pumping and
Brackish Water
Desalination in
Agriculture (PR&D)
Jordan and the West
Bank
Note: Data collection and availability are challenges, along with time.
 Problem: The high cost of PV solar modules and energy required by
desalination membrane systems had been barriers to large-scale
implementation of solar energy for water pumping and desalination.
Recent advancements in PV technology reduced module prices to below
US$1 per watt peak, and nanofiltration membranes show good potential
for bringing brackish or salty waters to a level acceptable for agricultural
use, at nearly twice the energy efficiency of reverse osmosis. This project
addressed the technical and economic feasibility of water pumping and
brackish water desalination using solar energy for agricultural production.
Activities:
 Baseline Analysis: Characterize brackish water resources and evaluate
regional solar radiation potential.
 Conceptual Design and Simulation: Develop solar energy and desalination

system schematics and operation scenarios based on available
equipment.
Feasibility Analysis: Evaluate economic and technical feasibility of PV
solar water pumping and desalination and conduct detailed sensitivity
analysis to determine: (1) the most viable power supply options for
different scenarios; (2) breakeven points between PV and conventional
alternatives, such as diesel and electric grid; (3) water unit costs for
different scenarios; (4) optimal system configuration and operation; and
(5) payback period, rate of return, and net present values for different
scenarios and configurations.
Results to Date: Feasibility study shows a clear advantage for PV solar
water pumping systems over diesel-powered systems. PV is at the edge of
break-even with the electricity grid and expected to compete in several
conditions.
Application: Model pumping and ready for piloting and commercialization.
Developing
Diagnosis
Techniques and
Strategies to Reduce
Non-Revenue Water
(NRW) in the Middle
East (PR&D)
Jordan, Egypt,
Tunisia, and Yemen
Problem: Non-revenue water (NRW) is water that is produced by a utility but
lost before it reaches the customer. Major causes are leaking and burst pipes,
illegal connections, metering inaccuracies, and sub-standard billing systems.
High levels of NRW have undermined the financial viability of water utilities
and significantly reduced their ability to maintain, improve, or expand their
networks and infrastructure.
Objectives: 1) Analyze sector governance, utility organization, operational
systems and functions, the nature of supply and services, and the network’s
physical state. 2) Creating and strengthening a permanent NRW Task Force
within ACWUA as a continuing technical resource for the region, principally to
expand utility audits and prepare PIPs. 3) Supporting ACWUA utilities in
developing and implementing action plans to reduce NRW.
Lessons: When the problem is rephrased in a new way, people respond.
There is a need for explicit process mapping and clarification of needed
administrative schemes. Need to allow for time and resources for in-depth
analysis.
Drought Monitoring
for MENA (PR&D)
UAE and Jordan
Objective: Develop a monitoring system to help the region prepare for
droughts. Regional consensus on drought definitions for different hydroecological regions with MENA and the design of a drought monitoring and
early warning system.
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Description
Project
Activity: Designed an operational drought monitoring and early warning
system that reflects the needs of end-user communities, so that countries can
better prepare for and be more resilient to future drought episodes. The work
is supported by experts at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s National
Drought Mitigation Center, who maintain the U.S. Drought Monitor, and a
suite of web-based drought management decision-making tools that are used
by farmers, educators and the government. Through this partnership, regional
researchers better understand the possibilities and realities involved in
establishing a drought monitoring system.
Radar Probing of
Groundwater in
Hyper-Arid
Environments (U.S. –
Middle East
Partnership)
Oman and Morocco
Problem: Groundwater systems are a critical source of water and an
important regional resource. In Morocco and Oman, the distribution and
dynamics of these fossil aquifers is little known because current knowledge
relies on measurements from local wells that are sparsely distributed and
cover only a small percentage of the desert area.
Activity: To locate and map desert aquifers in Morocco and Oman, an
international research team, led by the California Institute of Technology
(Caltech), is using radar-sounding technology developed to explore the
subsurface of Mars. Using an airborne 40-mHz, low-frequency sounding
radar prototype, the team is creating high-resolution maps of freshwater
aquifers buried deep beneath deserts.
Key Findings:
 Location and depth of the water table is 30-50 meters.
 Radar capability to monitor water freshness.
 Groundwater budget model from data output.
Further Development: Widen mapping of fossil aquifer resources; airborne
implementation.
PROS: High-profile performances on the field by the participants led to
advanced cooperation.
CONS: Coordination and logistics.
Improving
Agricultural Soil
Properties Using Soil
Amendments
(YWSP)
UAE and Bahrain
Reflectance Sensing
in Precision
Irrigation
Management and
Scheduling (WIF)
UAE
Objective: Use field experiments and remote sensing techniques to assess
the effectiveness of soil amendments on soil quality and crop production in the
Gulf. Results will be used to publish soil improvement guidelines.
Key Findings: Using amendments, water irrigation can be decreased by 25
percent. Yield improved, soil quality improved, monitoring efficiency increased,
decrease water use in agriculture while keeping same yield, remote sensing
increases monitoring efficiency for amended soils, interdisciplinary cooperation
within organization provides optimization of research resources.
Objective: Produce a precision irrigation scheduling method using
reflectance sensors, resulting in an irrigation support tool for farmers
operating in arid climates.
Activities:
 Evaluated crop responses to water and salinity stress in terms of canopy

reflectance indices NDVI normalized difference vegetation index) and PRI
(photochemical reflectance index).
Developed an irrigation scheduling method based on reflectance indices
correlated with soil moisture and canopy temperature.
Result: Increases the water-use efficiency.
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Project
Description
Treatment of
Secondary Effluents
(WIF)
Objective: Develop and test a simple and affordable self-cleaning advancedtreatment filter to treat secondary effluence. Enhance the quality and quantity
of effluents through use of ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis.
 Irrigating with secondary treated sewage effluents allows recycling and
resource conservation but it impacts soil and crop productivity.
 New membrane technology has the potential to increase treated water
return to near 100 percent and improve sludge removal.
West Bank
Results:
 Increasing farmers' access to affordable and uninterrupted irrigation water.
 Recharging depleted aquifers, such as the coastal aquifer in Gaza, with
high quality water.
Key Findings from the Research Project Fair – Participants were asked to react to
the research projects presented.
The members of the Congress were divided into nine groups that assessed the projects
presented during the research fair. The following table lists main points presented by
the nine groups.
Some points were mentioned by more than one participant as indicated by the numbers
listed
Key Findings from the Research Project Fair
1. What was the most useful information that you
heard?
USE OF/CALL FOR MONITORING SYSTEMS





Moisture in soil around trees.
Systems for decision making.
Drought and other extreme conditions.
Red tide.
Sensors for near-real time monitoring.
2. What three projects demonstrate the best
potential/achieved large-scale application?





Non-Revenue Water (4 votes)
Systems for Irrigated Agriculture (3)
Big Data Water Management (3)
Drought Monitor for MENA (3)
Nanotechnology (3)
EFFICIENCY
 Calculate yield gap between farms and look for
reasons.
 Develop diagnosis techniques, strategies, and


integrated management to reduce non-revenue
water (NRW).
Dynamics of managed aquifer recharge using
treated wastewater.
Importance of groundwater.
COMMUNICATION
 Increase awareness of aquaculture and agriculture
using modern water practices
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Key Findings from the Research Project Fair
 Importance of meeting with people rather than
using e-mail or phone to collect data.
 Need for all stakeholders’ involvement.
 Universities are interested in our problem.
 Willingness for transboundary cooperation.
TECHNOLOGY
 Developments in remote sensing.
 New technologies for desalination, including using







solar energy.
Irrigation efficiency/clay materials.
Use of clay-micelles complex.
Low-cost, user friendly sanitation system in
unsewered communities.
Drones measuring canopy spectral reflectance.
Green technology in nanoparticles synthesizing.
Using nanotechnology for water disinfection.
Using radar to map desalination water.
PRIVATE SECTOR
 Need for private sector investment, assistance, and
active participation.
END-USERS






Community development and participation.
Bottom-up approach, more end-user input.
Further explore nexus of food-waste-energy.
Recognition and addressing of socioeconomic
aspects of water management.
Research impact on farmers.
Further scientific diversity and region relevance.
RESEARCH/DATA
 Benefitting from research done for space to be
applied for water.
 Big Data project.
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Key Findings from the Research Project Fair
3. What project demonstrates the best
example of collaboration between Network
Centers and international research
partners, including Affiliates?
4. What specific actions would you
recommend to the Network to improve
regional and international collaboration?
Receiving two votes each:
RESEARCH, KNOWLEDGE, PLATFORMS
 Expanding Access to Sanitation Using




Appropriate and Affordable Techniques for
Unsewered Communities.
Promoting Water Use Efficiency in Green
Schools.
Mitigating Environmental Risks of Wastewater
Reuse for Agriculture.
Developing and Applying Non-Revenue Water
Reduction Decision Support Criteria and Tools.
Radar Probing of Groundwater in Hyper-Arid
Environments: Understanding Aqifer Dynamics
in High Discharge Areas.
 Platform for exchanging and accessing project






outputs, knowledge, research, lessons learned,
and datasets from all regions.
Collective scientific production and multidisciplinary and client-responsive research.
Board for testing/suggesting research ideas.
Link research to policy.
Climate change forecasting, mitigation.
Researcher(s) on the Board of Directors.
Reproduce successes in other countries.
COMMUNICATION AND COOPERATION
 Advertising for calls for proposals.
 Promotion for private sector partnering and
investment in successful ideas.
 Clarify structures for partnerships.
 Define common problems/solutions between
partner countries.
 Facebook and other frameworks for networking
and chatting between members, partners.
 Dialogue with other regional institutes.
 Engage in “science diplomacy,” exchanges.
MENA/NWC EFFECTIVENESS
 Business plan that defines the impact pathway,












efficient governance of research funding, and
Network expansion to include new members,
partners, institutions, regions, funding sources.
Financial sustainability.
Supplement projects with field visits, workshops.
Accelerate themes-to-research process.
Define impact indicators for projects.
Decrease time to market.
Measure value-added of the Network.
Develop more topics of water management and
food security.
Include policy makers in the Network.
Board members should be involved more.
Improve Network website.
Connect policy makers and researchers/
implementers.
More technology transfer.
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END-USERS
 Involve end users and decision makers.
 Local interaction for each project.
 Strategic plan to unite efforts, scientific
resources with end-user in mind.
 Increase water security.
 Closer work with farmers.
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ANNEX 2: REACTION OF
DONORS, PRIVATE SECTOR
Operating in an Entrepreneurial / Competitive World
Donors
Private Sector/Affiliates
1. What was most important about what you
heard?
2. What was most important about what
you heard?
INVESTOR/DONOR NEEDS
MARKET-BASED APPROACH














 Centers need market-driven strategy that
High-quality research proposals.
Show impact of research in society/community.
Develop instructional solutions.
More output, forward movement>donor interest.
Analytical skills for uptake and impact pathway.
What can the individual Centers attract?
Relationship between donors, proposal owners
Large-scale projects.
Create donation and funding opportunities.
Some donors wish to target infrastructure.
Collaboration between donors when possible.
Commitment of stakeholders highly appreciated.
Understand donors’ restrictions, constraints.
What comes next after current funding ends?
NETWORK NEEDS












Improving overall communication, coordination.
More involvement in ongoing initiatives.
Advocate to—and work with—governments.
Tell attractive story to governments, audiences.
Build grant-writing skills.
Perform stakeholder analysis
Develop partner priorities, need-driven policies.
Build bridge between science, policy makers.
Members must ultimately own, lead network.
Need strong institutional framework.
Develop partnerships and pooling efforts.
Commit to water issues long-term, 360 degrees.










addresses private sector research needs,
possible products, employment, youth,
ROI, time to market.
Need for reverse strategy business plan
and communication to encourage the
private sector.
Commercialize prototypes, outputs.
Innovative methods in water irrigation.
Examples of similar collaborations.
Private sector pressure is positive.
Performance evaluation continuous.
Money in the billions.
The willingness to take risk on the right
ideas, knowing the idea might fail.
Interact between private sectors,
education, policy & donors.
Find mechanism for sustainable Network.
INFORMATION NEEDS








Disclose the areas of interest in R&D.
Identifying priorities in research.
Improve communication.
Need of platform for sharing member and
facility results and findings.
Performance evaluation continuous.
Vision on research work.
Private quality of science.
Clear message to research, youth.
RESEARCH NEEDS
RESEARCH
 Develop theory of change and conceptual.









framework to guide future research.
Focus on Applied Research.
Link research to policy reform.
More research directed to govt/donor priorities.
More research focus on social needs.
Free software for academics/research.
Researchers need to understand business.
Percentage of budget for R&D.
More applied research.
Science platform to bring people together.
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 Researcher-end user feedback.
 Researchers must meet funding criteria.
LINKING TO GOVERNMENT
 Improvement for policy decision makers.
 More R&D support from government end-users.
 More research on water governance.
POSITIVE MESSAGING ON WATER





Water R&D in MENA is in its infancy.
What can private sector gain from NWC?
Make water an attractive, win-win topic.
Time urgency.
Research is positive, long-term investment.
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Operating in an Entrepreneurial / Competitive World
Donors
Private Sector/Affiliates
3. What unique strengths/skills does MENA
NWC Centers and Network (including
Affiliates) HAVE to meet these needs,
interests, and priorities?
4. What unique strengths/skills does MENA
NWC Centers and Network (including
Affiliates) HAVE to meet these needs,
interests, and priorities?
REGIONAL REACH
CONTACTS, ABILITY TO CONNECT
 Building the voice of water sciences
 Entry point for private sector into MENA





regionally.
Natural links to solutions for governments.
Leveraging regional science/research
facilities.
First-hand knowledge of water challenges.
Ability to complement activities across
borders.
Create visibility in media for decision makers.
DIVERSE SKILLS, EXPERIENCE
 Diversity/variety of topics, participants.
 Empowering the Board.
 Geographic culture, and research diversity,






but similar challenges.
Good knowledge, rich and various experience
and can help implement and donors
strategies.
Local network.
MENA Centers have unique insight &
scientific capability.
Some Centers have good proposal-writing
and capacity building skills.
The members are bringing the issue and
solution.
Local knowledge, regional/global perspective.
MOTIVATION




Youth and motivation of researchers.
Active participation of the water Centers.
Commitment of members/owning the needs.
Donors’ desire to improve water security.
table.
 Common interest to improve, commercialize.
 Interaction: Business, education, policy,
donors.
 Able to disseminate available knowledge.
 Serve as Knowledge Management, networking


platform for private sector and government.
Able to partner, collaborate on a regional
scale.
Private sector desire to see researchers’ work.
SOUGHT-AFTER PEOPLE, SKILLS
 Geographic culture; innovative, diverse














research.
Specialty members with new applied ideas.
Test technical feasibility of commercial ideas.
Create technology platforms for trials.
Customize products to MENA context.
Develop more blended research portfolio.
Innovative research (3).
Knowledge of problems.
Multidisciplinary participants.
Needs assessment for members, industry
"water."
Oriented training programs.
Practical solutions.
Qualified researchers (7).
Training.
Training of new technologies.
IMPORTANT MISSION, MOTIVATION
UNITY
 A network representing Centers is available

region.
 Bring various water-related sectors to the
and more efficient to work with rather that
through many individual Centers.
Together we stand, together we are stronger.




Active participation of the water Centers.
Clear strategic objectives.
Commitment of members / owning the needs.
Empowering the Board.
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 Clear objectives.
 Qualified staff.
 There are some serious and objective
donors.
 Initiative (start-up).
 Potential for commercialization.
 Young, dynamic and motivated water
researchers.
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Operating in an Entrepreneurial / Competitive World
Donors
5. Recommend skills/knowledge/
relationship(s) that MENA NWC Centers
and the Network NEED to better meet these
needs, interests and priorities?
Private Sector/Affiliates
6. Recommend skills/knowledge/
relationship(s) that MENA NWC Centers
and the Network NEED to better meet the
needs, interests and priorities that were
presented?
SOCIOECONOMIC APPROACH
 Add social and economic legal research focus.
 Ensure positive socioeconomic demand,





impact.
Applied/high ROI, show value.
Extend bottom-up approach throughout region.
Links research ideas to current/future needs.
Embrace, promote multi- and inter-disciplinary
approach; review and revise thematic areas.
Undertake stakeholder analysis.
GOVERNMENT/POLICY




NWC forge productive links with policy makers.
Advocate.
Promote government participation in network.
Research, share knowledge of policy process.
INVOLVEMENT WITH GRANTEES







Clear project announcements.
Improved project management.
Proposal writing skills.
More engagement with grant recipients.
Documentation for grants.
Engagement of young scientists.
Clear idea on implementing successful
research.
ACTIVE FACILITATION
 Unique platform to convene stakeholders/









actors.
Training and capacity building.
Website, sharing knowledge.
Develop communities of practice.
Assess research needs.
Develop sustainable relativity with donors.
Sustained communication with donors, private
sector.
Members should manage network.
Review selection criteria of the members.
Develop analytical skills: uptake and impact
FORMAL PRIVATE SECTOR LINKAGE






Formal network with private sector.
Clear business-targeted proposals.
Communication.
Utilize "corporate social responsibility"
toward R&D instead of donations or
philanthropy.
Fill gaps in private sector R&D programs.
Establish interactive partnerships.
MARKETABLE RESEARCH












Develop socioeconomic research capacity.
Unit to sell/invest/commercialize research.
More focus on output efficiency.
Reward innovative risky research.
Prioritize, scale up research.
Select demand-driven projects.
Simpler research policies.
Applied/high ROI.
Highlight urgency of cause.
Bridge entrepreneurial/private sector needs.
Develop track record prototype>product.
New technology with applied results.
GROWTH FOR NETWORK
 Clear agendas from all parties.
 More media to attract donors, private sector.
 Improve communication between Centers







(newsletters, social networking, others).
Pursue “science diplomacy.”
Improve fundraising skills.
Strategic planning for financial sustainability.
Strengthen NWCs:
— Capacity development.
— Completion report including lessons
learned.
Network should be managed by members.
Improve website, share knowledge.
Facilitate workshops.
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
pathway.
Facilitate more workshops.
 Focus on decision support system.
 Revisit research themes.
 Policy between research and end-user to
avoid re-inventing the wheel.
 Global thinking.
MENA NWC Board Member John Waterbury provided a summary of the findings.
The private sector has not identified where the NWC fits in with their goals. The
question remains: What impact can the NCW provide to the private sector? Donors and
the private sector want an impact. Other questions include:

The role of the Network within the professional water community;

Structure of MENA NWC;

Where is the MENA NWC going?
The Network will be greater than the sum of its parts and a leader in the region, but it
needs to be assessed. The Network also needs to be trustworthy to achieve the goals
of the research and water community. USAID has demonstrated commitment to support
the Network.
Research needs to be prioritized and researchers incentivized. Researchers are not
regularly included in the overall mission of the organization. Incentives and involvement
for researchers is critical. Proper incentives are not in place.
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ANNEX 3: PARTICIPANTS’
ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS
Non-Conventional Water
1. What are the criteria to determine critical
areas for research (cost etc.)?
2. What are the critical areas for research in
your technical area?
 Impact on health, environment, and
economics.
 Vulnerability or stability of water supply.
3. What knowledge/skills do Network Centers and Affiliates have to respond to these areas?
4. Recommend actions the Network Centers and Affiliates can take to improve their ability to
respond in these areas? What additional resources/skills are needed?










Focused workshops in specific topic areas.
Guide of best practices.
Proper decision-making channels.
Environment impact assessment.
Data sharing.
Risk management.
Grant office/writing center.
Platform for analysis.
Applied R&D.
Suitable equipment for doing research.
5. Suggest future areas for research partnerships between Network Centers/Affiliates





Water safety planning.
Emerging pollutants in water resources.
Treatment of TWW.
Regulation set-up/legal framework.
New standards and guidelines to be developed for wastewater.
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Water Productivity
1. What are the criteria to determine critical
areas for research (cost etc.)?
2. What are the critical areas for research in
your technical area?

















Water scarcity.
Social, economic, and technical.
Potential sustainability.
Climate adaption.
Natural resources valuation.
Poverty/equality.
National strategy (Identified by local policy
makers).
Water balance.
Water use efficiency.
Food security.
Behavior change.
Water productive cropping patterns.
Flood forecasting.
Options for reducing water losses.
Crop tolerance to water and salinity stress.
Water conservation valuation.
Drought planning.
3. What knowledge/skills do Network Centers and Affiliates have to respond to these areas?
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Intention of technical, economic, and social aspects.
Irrigation and crop modelling.
Knowledge hub, partnership, and stakeholders involvement.
Similar issues, diversity of specialists.
Decisional, participatory, and integrative.
4. Recommend actions the Network Centers and Affiliates can take to improve their ability to
respond in these areas? What additional resources/skills are needed?
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Capacity building/training.
Strategic patterns.
Needs assessment/government and policy.
Soil science.
Resource economics/social economics.
Increase governance work.
Capacity building focus on small farmers.
5. Suggest future areas for research partnerships between Network Centers/Affiliates
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Conduct meetings with water stakeholders.
KG/m^3.
$/m^3.
Water accounting/budget.
Employment generation.
Does drip irrigation save water?
Impact on women.
Policies for improved water productivity.
Assessment of agricultural water productivity in water scarce areas.
Protected agriculture.
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Water Supply and Sanitation
1. What are the criteria to determine critical
areas for research (cost etc.)?
2. What are the critical areas for research in
your technical area?
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 NRW and water loss.
 Wastewater and water-safety plan and risk
Demonstrated needs of stakeholders.
Knowledge of return vs. cost impact.
Sophistication and innovation level.
Agreement with national priorities.
assessment.
 Storm water drainage if applicable.
 Energy efficiency for pumping and treatment.
 Sensing and monitoring technology (including
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SCADA).
Data analysis, data mining of supply.
Water harvesting.
Wastewater treatment, cheap and efficient.
Reliability of data.
3. What knowledge/skills do Network Centers and Affiliates have to respond to these areas?
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Good researchers (Centers and involving universities).
Rallying government contribution.
Donors (suitable and partners).
Assessment methods technology and administration.
4. Recommend actions the Network Centers and Affiliates can take to improve their ability to
respond in these areas? What additional resources/skills are needed?
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Focus on applied and commercial research.
Connect government, donors, researchers, private sector.
More structuring of the relationship.
Research centers should own the NWC.
5. Suggest future areas for research partnerships between Network Centers/Affiliates
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Ground Water
1. What are the criteria to determine critical
areas for research (cost etc.)?
2. What are the critical areas for research in
your technical area?
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GW quality.
Policy change.
Identification of new sources.
Protection/sustainability of existing source.
Impacts on communication.
Resource valuation.
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Managing GW as a strategic reserve.
Impact on economic policies.
Develop viable models.
Political economy of GW management.
Social impact of GW (mis)management.
Managed aquifer recharge.
Identification of new sources.
Analyze/document successes of GW
management.
Research on use of produced water (GCC).
Transboundry aspects of GW management.
Abstraction monitoring.
Protected areas.
Impacts of climate change.
3. What knowledge/skills do Network Centers and Affiliates have to respond to these areas?
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Number of Centers focused on GW governance.
Strong technical capacity.
Strong collaborative ability.
We are a network.
4. Recommend actions the Network Centers and Affiliates can take to improve their ability to
respond in these areas? What additional resources/skills are needed?
 Build capacity for social hydrology.
 Broader capacity for integrated research.
5. Suggest future areas for research partnerships between Network Centers/Affiliates
 Seek linkages to successful basin management organizations.
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Water, Energy, Food Nexus
1. What are the criteria to determine critical
areas for research (cost etc.)?
2. What are the critical areas for research in
your technical area?
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Affordability.
Time-to-market.
Usability/adaptability.
Acceptability.
Accessibility/implement-ability.
Sustainability.
Scalability.
Is the research demand-driven?
Support less water, less energy, more food.
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Governance.
Agrosystems sustainability.
Water balance.
Water allocation.
Dealing with the various objectives.
Renewable energy/energy efficiency.
Resource energy and reuse.
Water footprint and energy footprint.
Optimizing water/energy in wastewater
treatment.
Developing policies and aligning policies for
mutual returns (water, energy, agriculture).
Water sanitation (energy efficiency, chemical
rework).
Integrated urban water/wastewater
management.
The use of produced water (osmosis with all
production).
Options for reducing water losses.
Rationalization of use.
3. What knowledge/skills do Network Centers and Affiliates have to respond to these areas?
 Need to check Centers vis-a-vis the identified areas.
 Use surveys.
4. Recommend actions the Network Centers and Affiliates can take to improve their ability to
respond in these areas? What additional resources/skills are needed?
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Tap into the international and U.S. universities of CGIAR centers.
Check International Food Policy Research Institute.
Look for strategic partnerships to overcome gaps in disciplinary capacities.
Start with desktop research and proceed in building partnerships.
Link with education (e.s. Themsen in Algeria).
Collaborate with political and social scientists and economists.
Improve strategic planning.
Work with government.
5. Suggest future areas for research partnerships between Network Centers/Affiliates.
 Science/policy interface (this is the role of network).
 Private sector.
 International universities, research centers, CGIAR centers.
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ANNEX 4: COUNTRY SPECIFIC
ISSUES, LESSONS LEARNED
Tunisia
1. What are the 3 most significant
water policy issues in your
country?
 Non-conventional water (re)use.
 Water conservation.
 Decentralization of water
governance, policy.
2. What are the knowledge/research gaps that need to
be addressed to improve policy in these areas?
DATA/RESEARCH
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Knowledge of government.
Research on governance assets.
Water economics.
Inter- and trans-disciplinary research to reach issues.
Lack of long-term research.
Socioeconomic impact.
Environmental impact.
Research about ground water quality.
Lack of data on GW.
Water, food, energy nexus.
TWW in agriculture, aquifer recharge.
Impact of water conservation.
Rainwater harvesting in urban areas.
Health impacts of sewer.
Integrated urban water management.
Rainwater harvesting in rural areas.
Models development.
MANAGEMENT
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Water and flood forecasting.
Water management and allocation in basin.
Stormwater management.
Drought management.
Involvement of the private sector.
Adaptation and utilization of climate change.
Impact of water conservation.
Rainwater harvesting in urban areas.
Health impacts of sewer.
Integrated urban water management.
3. What recommendations do you have for the Network Centers and Affiliates to respond
helpfully in the future to your country’s needs?
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Involve social scientists.
Involve the private sector.
Trans-disciplinary skills.
Capacity Building.
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Jordan
1. What are the three most significant water
policy issues in your country?
 Integrated water management and water loss.
 Wastewater safety plant.
 Subsidized traffic.
2. What are the knowledge/research gaps that
need to be addressed in order to improve
policy in these areas?
 Need water law.
 Data: quality, management and availability.
 Utility regulation structure.
3. What recommendations do you have for the Network Centers and Affiliates to respond
helpfully in the future to your country’s needs?
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Share success stories.
Dissemination & recommendation.
Communication centers, private sectors & government.
Awareness.
Establish specialty working grounds.
Palestine/Lebanon/Egypt
1. What are the three most significant water
policy issues in your country?
2. What are the knowledge/research gaps that
need to be addressed in order to improve
policy in these areas?
 Controlling and accessing natural water

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resources.
Building strategic water networks reservoir on
national level.
Balancing between soil needs and social
interests/responsibilities.
 Better understanding of International water


laws and human rights.
Ground water recharge by treated waste
water.
Desalination of Brackish water.
3. What recommendations do you have for the Network Centers and Affiliates to respond
helpfully in the future to your country’s needs?
 Research Funds.
 Knowledge sharing from partners.
 Capacity building.
Morocco
1. What are the three most significant water
policy issues in your country?
 Water saving and efficiency.
 Water sanitation and water reuse.
 Non-conventional water resources.
2. What are the knowledge/research gaps that
need to be addressed in order to improve
policy in these areas?
 Lack of need to develop decision making tools
for IWRM.
 Lack of national water data sharing and data
monitoring.
 Drought and flood management and climate
change adaption and mitigation.
 Lack of small communities waste water
treatment technology.
3. What recommendations do you have for the Network Centers and Affiliates to respond
helpfully in the future to your country’s needs?
 More applied research.
 Involve Government/Private/NGOs.
 Sharing knowledge and best practices in MENA.
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GCC, Oman, Bahrain, UAE, Kuwait
1. What are the 3 most significant water policy
issues in your country?
 Policy needed: legal control, rights, irrigation,


privatization, ecosystem conservation,
energy/water use, water security.
Integrated water resources management:
conservation, pricing, metering, control of
groundwater pumping, use of TWW, conjoining
water-food-energy.
Desalination cost, impact, efficiency.
2. What are the knowledge/research gaps that
need to be addressed to improve policy in
these areas?
 Sharing datasets among riparian countries,
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especially on groundwater research in GCC.
Risk analysis for decision-makers.
Capacity building of locals.
Agriculture productivity vs. cost of water.
Crop adaptation drought and climate change.
Develop protected agriculture.
Accurate and special data collection.
Information on integrated water resources
management.
Cost of harmful algal blooms.
More extension offices.
Identification and implementation of specific
agriculture schemes on region basis.
Infrastructure.
Developing alternative systems.
3. What recommendations do you have for the Network Centers and Affiliates to respond
helpfully in the future to your country’s needs?
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Research in produced water treatment for livestock and human uses.
Capacity building data and knowledge sharing.
More applied research and use of alternative water resources.
Awareness.
Research in HABs and reduced cost of diesel, especially energy and sustainability.
Applied research and heavy awareness to the consumers.
Produce water TV documentary.
Involve more young scientists.
Practiced solutions.
Collective adaptation options to address water security.
GCC water market in which government can organize a water director so each country
representative can adopt on appropriate network output/outcomes.
Serve as: facilitator/enabler and knowledge platform.
R&D leadership.
Entrepreneurial/innovation catalyst.
Identification of the proper pathways to impact policy makers and other stakeholders developing
knowledge hubs together on specific thematic areas related to water.
Reach out.
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Yemen
1. What are the 3 most significant water
policy issues in your country?
 Conservation: Groundwater depletion,


managing drinking water, water-saving devices
for agriculture.
Institutional reform: constraints, regulations,
water quantity/quality regulation, water/energy,
dealing with sanitation pollution.
Pumps specific to deep aquifers.
2. What are the knowledge/research gaps that
need to be addressed in order to improve
policy in these areas?
 Groundwater management and use.
 Adapted tech for:
— Deep pumping
 Capacity building.

— Policy
— Research
— Groundwater/water utility management
Waste recovery and reuse.
3. What recommendations do you have for the Network Centers and Affiliates to respond
helpfully in the future to your country’s needs?
 NWC.
 Knowledge transfer.
 Policy/institutional research (analyzing local & international govt.)
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