Regional Conference on Advancing Non Conventional Water Resources Management in the Mediterranean, 14-15 September 2011, Athens, Greece

1. Safe water re-use and environmentally sound
desalination in the Mediterranean: the
activities of the UNEP/MAP MED POL
Programme as a contribution to adaptation to
climate change"
by
Francesco Saverio Civili,
Coordinator
MED POL Programme
UNEP/MAP
Regional Conference on Advancing Non-Conventional
Water Resources Management in the Mediterranean
Athens, 14-15 September 2011

2. MEDITERRANEAN
97.5% of the total global stock of water is saline
Only 2.5% is fresh water
Approximately 70% of this global freshwater is locked-up in polar
ice caps and a major part of the remaining 30% lies in remote
underground aquifers
Only a miniscule fraction of freshwater (less than 1% of the total
freshwater, 0.007% of the total global water stock) is available in
rivers, lakes and reservoirs and is readily accessible for direct
human use
Furthermore, the spatial and temporal distribution of freshwater
stock and flows is hugely uneven

3. MEDITERRANEAN
According to UN estimations the total population of the region will
increase from 446 million inh. in 2000 to 508-579 in 2025.
Within one generation the total population in the Eastern and
Southern countries tripled and it was over 223 million.
The water demands have shown a 32% increase by the year 2010 and
will reach 55% by 2025.
The increase in the North is less than that in the South and East.
The required water production is estimated to increase by 96 billion
cubic meters per year.

4. MEDITERRANEAN
1990 2025 2050
7500
10780 10842
7000
11549
6500
6000
5500
Availability (m /inh.yr)
5000
4500
3
4000
3500
3000
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2000
1500 Chronic Water
Scarcity
1000
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0 Absolute
Water Stress
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a Ex-Yugoslavia is not differentiated among Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Slovenia and Serbia.
Ex-Yugoslavia is notBosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and Slovenia
* It includes differentiated among Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Serbia
Annual renewable fresh water availability for 1990, 2025, and 2050

5. MEDITERRANEAN
As a result, present and future water needs can be
covered and satisfied only if non-conventional
resources (water re-use and desalination) are utilized

6. Water management in the region: the major challenges
A significant population increase, both on permanent populations
and in seasonal visitors
The consideration of the environment as an essential component
of the water resources management framework
The need to achieve further advancements in water sanitation,
particularly in coastal areas
The difficulties of all sorts, political, social, technical and even
economical, to generate significant flows of new water resources
using traditional management strategies
The recurring drought episodes that have affected some
Mediterranean areas over the last decades

7. Since its inception MAP has supported countries to
cope with water management challenges:
specific provisions of the Barcelona Convention
and its Protocols (in particular the LBS, ICZM),
important actions undertaken in the framework of
MCSD and its strategy (MSSD) that has adopted a set
of recommendations on water

8. The MSSD, adopted in 2005, focuses on water -a key sector for the
Mediterranean and critical for its sustainable development process-
with concrete targets on water savings. In this respect, one of the
issues highlighted is related to the use of non conventional waters.
In the framework of MSSD, MAP/MCSD is also working on the
preparation of a regional framework of adaptation to climate change
with particular emphasis on marine and coastal areas as well as
green economy that also addresses water management issues.

9. In the framework of MED POL two major issues
were addressed:
environmentally sound management of desalination
safe water re-use

10. As the demand for water increases, wastewater treatment and use has
progressively become an important tool in integrated water resources
management, and it is integrated into the holistic water resources
management of many countries
The use of treated wastewater can provide many benefits, including the
stimulation of economic growth through provision of a guaranteed supply of
defined quality
Treated wastewater can also make a significant contribution to sustainability
by reducing pressure on our existing water supplies and transferring
nutrients to beneficial uses, rather than discharge to our waterways

11. Water supply reliability, to be contractually defined and established to ensure
that water will be available when the user needs it
More economical water supply than conventional sources, particularly
during scarcity or drought periods
Development and follow-up of planned water reuse projects will contribute to
convert reclaimed water into a conventional water source. Reclaimed water is
a new water source, and consequently has to be accepted by users before it
becomes a common water source
Promotion of planned water reuse requires a level of institutional
cooperation and support (environmental, and public health particularly)
higher than that commonly adopted when managing traditional water
supplies

12. Reclaimed water is currently used for numerous beneficial uses:
1) agricultural, forest and landscape irrigation,
2) urban uses (garden, fire hydrants, street cleansing, and car
washing),
3) industrial uses (cooling, process water, railroad wagons washing),
4) ornamental and recreation uses,
5) environmental protection and enhancement (constructed wetlands),
and
6) groundwater recharge.

13. Wastewater is unique in composition, often associated with environmental
and health hazards, and its acceptability to replace more conventional or
other non-conventional water sources for irrigation is highly dependent upon
whether the health risk and environmental impact are within acceptable
levels
The formulation of guidelines for the use of treated wastewater is of prime
importance to countries in the Mediterranean region.
UNEP/MAP MED POL has developed in cooperation with WHO a number of
guidelines intended to be key references and guide for the use of treated
wastewater in Mediterranean countries. They are also designed to support
the regulatory requirements prescribed by the national regulatory authorities.

14. In addition, much emphasis has been given by the MED POL
Programme to capacity building. To this end, since 2004 ten training
courses were organized in the region both at the national and the
regional levels on treatment plants operation, maintenance and re-
use of waste waters.

15. In the Mediterranean, desalination has for a long time been a major
source of water, with the first plant installed in Marsa Alam, Egypt
with a capacity of 500 m³/day.
In 1983, Malta became one of the first places to use reverse osmosis
(RO) processes for seawater desalination on a large scale.
Today, Spain is the country with the largest capacity of seawater
desalination plants in the Mediterranean region.

16. taken into consideration
Construction and operation activities could result in a variety of
coastal zone impacts including impacts to air quality, to water
quality, to marine life, disturbance of ecological important
ecosystems (sand-dunes, seagrass beds and other important
habitats by the siting of pipelines route), dredging and disposal of
dredged material, noise, interference with public access and
recreation.
The most significant of these impacts are to air quality and water
quality, which subsequently, the latter has adverse impacts on
marine life and ecosystems.

17. MAP, through its MED POL Programme, has worked to assist
countries to implement their desalination policy in full respect of
the existing Barcelona Convention legislative framework.
In fact, dredged material from the construction of and installations
of lengthy submarine intake and outake pipes must be dumped
according to the specific provisions of the Dumping Protocol.
The concentrate from a desalination plant (the brine) should be
regulated prior to its discharge to the marine environment
according to the relevant provisions of the LBS Protocol.

18. Metal discharge, i.e. copper, from desalination plants should be
eliminated according to the relevant provisions of the LBS Protocol.
In addition, guidelines were prepared and adopted by the
Contracting Parties in relation to the environmental sound
management of desalination plants.
Technical and legal assistance related to the planning, design, siting
and operation of plants is also being provided to countries in need.

19. UNEP/MAP MED POL
Safe water re-use and environmentally sound desalination in the
Mediterranean: the activities of the UNEP/MAP MED POL Programme
as a contribution to adaptation to climate change"
United Nations Environment Programme /
Mediterranean Action Plan (UNEP/MAP)
48, Vassileos Konstantinou Ave.
Athens 11635
Greece
www.unepmap.org