EMWIS Flash n°69, April 2009

2- The working group on Water Monitoring led by EMWIS is part of the Med-Joint Process, it aims to support the collaboration between countries and to highlight the Mediterranean characteristics using  the Water Framework Directive - WFD - of the European Union as a discussion basis. One of the 1st objectives of this group is to have a better understanding of the situation of Monitoring networks and programs in the Mediterranean partner countries. For this purpose, a survey has been launched. All the organisations carrying on monitoring activities are kindly asked to fill-in the questionnaire and to return it to EMWIS Technical Unit before 11 May 2009. Once the answers are received, EMWIS will make a national consolidation. The regional analysis of the answers will be made by EMWIS partner Aquapole from the University of Liege (Belgium) and presented at a workshop at the autumn. The conclusions will be circulated to all the organisations who took part in the survey for comments before publication. Further information on EMWIS website

12- A World Bank report blames Palestinian mismanagement and Israeli restrictions for severe water shortages in Palestinian areas. Palestinians get only a quarter of the water Israelis have access to. The existing problems effect not just daily supply but the development of water resources, water uses and wastewater management. For their water Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip are completely dependant on scarce resources controlled by Israel. This has led to "systematic and severe constraints on Palestinian development of water resources", says the report, despite the joint governance rules and water allocations established under the 1995 Oslo interim agreement. But the Palestinian Authority (PA) too gets part of the blame. It is struggling to establish even a basic water infrastructure and management, concludes the report. Further information on EMWIS website

13- The Vice-President of the European Investment Bank, has completed a two-day visit to Lebanon. Invited by Lebanese Prime Minister, he inaugurated the Tripoli wastewater treatment plant which benefited from an EIB loan, and signed a loan of 70 million euros to support new water treatment facilities in the Kesrwan region. Supporting efficient infrastructure is a priority for the EIB and its arm dedicated to the Mediterranean region, FEMIP, to create an investment-friendly environment and improve quality of life. It is also part of the EIB pledge to lend 960 million in the next five years made at the Paris III conference on the reconstruction and development of Lebanon in 2007. The new loan in favour of water infrastructure in the Kesrwan region will improve sanitation services to a densely populated and touristic region. It will prevent untreated water from being discharged into the sea. It is included in the priority list of projects H2020 for Lebanon and is part of the National Action Plan for pollution reduction in connection with the Barcelona Convention. The Kerswan water treatment facilities will also benefit from EUR 4 million of technical assistance from the European Commission through the newly established Neighbourhood Investment Facility (NIF). Further information on EMWIS website

14- In Jordan, the Ministry of Environment and the Royal Scientific Society (RSS) signed recently an agreement to intensify monitoring of the Kingdom's water resources to prevent pollution. Under the JD175,000 agreement, RSS laboratories will monitor water quality at 118 sites across the Kingdom in a bid to prevent contamination and ensure the water is in line with the country's standards. The RSS will test water stored at the country's 10 major dams and 25 bodies of water in addition to 14 underground water sources across 10 governorates. The society's labs will also monitor industrial wastewater discharged by 40 factories in nine industrial areas as well as 33 sewage treatment plants run by the Ministry of Water and Irrigation and 11 operated by the private sector. Minister of Environment said data collected on water quality would help provide accurate information for lawmakers to develop policies to protect the environment. Further information on EMWIS website

16- The public company Canal Isabel II, which is in charge of water services in the Madrid area, has awarded a contract for the management of Spain's biggest wastewater treatment plant (in terms of daily flows treated) to a consortium headed by Veolia Water. It covers the operation and maintenance of the "South" plant, the main treatment plant for Madrid. The four-year contract, which has a two-year extension clause, is worth cumulative revenue of approximately €16.4 million for Veolia Water. This is the second operation and maintenance contract to be awarded to Veolia Water by Madrid's public company. Further information on EMWIS website

17- France is strongly in favour of the universal recognition of the right to water as a human right. Regretting that the right to water was not included in the Ministerial Declaration of the World Water Forum held last month in Istanbul, Mrs. Chantal Jouanno, French Secretary of State for Ecology told the National Assembly: "We will continue the struggle for right to water in the UN because we are convinced that the right of access to water is the basis of all human rights." In South Africa: Johannesburg court determines the right to water at 42 litters per person per day.  Recently the Court confirmed the illegality of using prepaid meters set at 42 litters per day per person to provide free water to the very poor people. It must be noticed that the same amount is also used in Flanders in Belgium since 1997 for the free allocation of water. Following the court case, a more advanced system  of rates will be set-up in July to avoid the criticisms of the court on automatic disconnection in case of arrears. The Johannesburg experience has the merit to seek to reconcile the right to water and the pricing requirements that must be protected to ensure the continuity of the service. Further information on EMWIS website

18- Implementation of the Water Framework Directive and other (European) water related policies requires the use of the best available knowledge. Most of this knowledge is, however, often poorly accessible. The WISE-RTD Web Portal "www.wise-rtd.info" aims to improve this situation. WISE-RTD is one of the pillars of the Water Information System for Europe (WISE, water.europa.eu). This Web Portal guides different user groups to find specific information in a huge pool of available knowledge on water related research, technology, development and experiences. The WISE-RTD Association offers you an extended visibility for your water related activities, solutions or products towards a huge potential of interested organisations and governmental bodies from all over Europe and abroad. Further information on EMWIS website

19- Water shortages, aggravated by climate change, are likely to increase in the future. Significant savings in drinking-quality water could be made if recycled water was used for household laundry. A recent study suggests that recycled water is safe to use in domestic washing machines and is not a health hazard. Although the study suggests there is minimal risk to users of recycled water, consumers are also concerned about the appearance of water; for example, its clarity and colour. The researchers suggest this study can support regulations to supply recycled water and to reassure the public that the use of high quality recycled water for domestic laundry purposes is safe. Further information on EMWIS website

20- AIREAGUAPURA company is providing systems that collects moisture from the atmosphere to produce drinking water. Today, AIREAGUAPURA is able to deliver systems that produce at a daily basis between 6 and 10 000 litters of pure water of quality. Quantities are depending on the humidity and the temperature. The higher the humidity and the temperature, the higher the production is important. Further information on EMWIS website.

21- Agriculture imposes a heavy and growing burden on Europe's water resources, threatening water shortages and damage to ecosystems. To achieve sustainable water use, farmers must be given the right price incentives, advice and assistance. Agricultural water use is unevenly spread. In some southern European regions, agriculture accounts for more than 80 % of water abstraction. And peak abstraction typically occurs in the summer when water is least available, maximizing detrimental impacts. The EEA's recent report, Water resources across Europe — confronting water scarcity and drought, that was discusses at a session during the last World Water Forum, describes the grave impacts of excessive abstraction. Overexploiting resources increases the likelihood of severe water shortages during dry periods. But it also means diminished water quality (because pollutants are less diluted) and the risk of salt water intrusion into groundwater in coastal regions. Further information on EMWIS website

22- Extremes of heat and drought, rain and flooding are affecting many parts of Europe. Last summer, while Spanish daily newspaper El Pais ran photographs of dry riverbeds, the Guardian in Britain ran alarming headlines about floods. While the local government in Barcelona made plans to import water by ship, the British government assessed its flood defences. There are many causes but climate change is expected to increase both the frequency and the severity of these events. Further information on EMWIS website

23- Following confirmation from Eurockot Launch Services that they will launch ESA's SMOS mission on 9 September this year, the satellite has just been taken out of storage before it is prepared for shipment to the launch site in Russia. The Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission is the next Earth Explorer in line for liftoff after the successful launch of the Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) six weeks ago. After being in storage at Thales Alenia Space in the south of France for almost a year, the SMOS satellite has just been unveiled and presented to the media at a one-day event held on 24 April. Leading journalists from around Europe gathered in Cannes (France) to view the SMOS satellite first hand and learn more about how this mission will employ new technology to improve our understanding of Earth's water cycle. SMOS will measure concentrations of moisture in soil and salt in the oceans for a deeper understanding of the water cycle and a better understanding of how a changing climate may be affecting patterns of evaporation over the ocean and land. Data on salinity in the surface waters of the oceans will also advance our knowledge of ocean circulation, which is important in moderating the climate. Further information on EMWIS website

24- Some of the developing world's largest rivers are drying up because of climate change, threatening water supplies in some of the most populous places on Earth, say scientists. Researchers from the US-based National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) analysed data combined with computer models to assess flow in 925 rivers — nearly three quarters of the world's running water supply — between 1948 and 2004. Rivers are losing water for a variety of possible reasons, say the researchers, including the installation of dams and the use of water for agriculture. But in many cases the decrease in flow is because of climate change, which is altering rainfall patterns and increasing evaporation because of higher temperatures. Flow has increased in some developing world rivers. As well as endangering water supplies, the decreased river flow could affect the world's climate. If less freshwater is discharged into the oceans they become saltier, which could affect salinity- and temperature-driven ocean circulation patterns that in turn play a fundamental role in climate regulation. The research will be published in the American Meteorological Society's Journal of Climate next month (15 May). Further information on EMWIS website