SWIM-SM helps assessing the cost of water resources degradation & remediation in South Mediterranean Basins

Based on the latest news Mann River and Lake Mar have been polluted by excessive fertilization, and livestock and industrial waste. With each day of inaction, the potential for ecological degradation worsens and pollution threatens the drinking water supply for the residents of the towns and villages in the region, has led to the ban of fishing due to contamination, it is threatening tourism and mainly the restaurant industry as this region is famous for its mild weather and food variety. 

 Does the above sound familiar to you? It might, since it refers to a set of conditions and problems often experienced by South Mediterranean Basins. How to evaluate the damages and prioritize specific actions for improving the management of the basins is at the heart of a document recently released by the EU-funded project Sustainable Water Integrated Management – Support Mechanism (SWIM-SM) to assist decision-makers at the national and local levels.

The hypothetical case study on Mann River and Lake Mar provides both the theoretical instruments and methods and practical exercises to build the capacity of South Mediterranean stakeholders in this process. The material has been successfully tested during two courses recently organized by SWIM-SM for Mashrek and Maghreb countries.

The practical section, in particular, provides the necessary tools to valuate water-related diseases, degradation of water quality and quantity, fossil aquifer replenishment, deterioration due to solid waste and selective remedial costs. Drawbacks of the process, due to methodological limitations and lack of accessibility to reliable information, are also highlighted in the document.

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SWIM Demonstration Projects:

1- Adaptation to Climate Change of the Mediterranean Agricultural Systems (SWIM-ACLIMAS)

Leader of the Project’s Consortium: International Center for Advanced Studies on Mediterranean Agriculture – Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Bari (CIHEAM-MAIB), Italy

2- All Across the Jordan: the NGO Trans-boundary Master Planning of the Lower Jordan River Basin

Leader of the Project’s Consortium: Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME)

3- Innovative Means to Protect Water Resources in the Mediterranean Coastal Areas through Re-injection of Treated Wastewater (SWIM-IMPROWARE)

Leader of the Project’s Consortium: Italian Ministry of the Environment, Land and Sea

4- Network of demonstration activities for sustainable integrated wastewater treatment and reuse in the Mediterranean (SWIM-Sustain Water MED)

Leader of the Project’s Consortium: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit ( German International Cooperation - GIZ) GmbH

5- Water harvesting and Agricultural techniques in Dry lands: an Integrated and Sustainable model in MAghreb Regions (SWIM-WADIS MAR)

Leader of the Project’s Consortium: Desertification Research Group (Centro Interdipartimentale di Ateneo) University of Sassari, Italy