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Welcome to the first edition of the MEDRC MENA Water Bulletin
Every month the Bulletin will bring together all the news on the search for fresh water scarcity in the MENA region.
Developed by Dr. Jauad El Kharraz, the new head of MEDRCs research department, the Bulletin will highlight innovative solutions for water scarcity problems in the region. It will present success stories, new projects and opportunities in the areas of water research, training and development cooperation.
Please feel to contact us with news and suggestions info@medrc.org
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LocalNews
Oman boosts efforts to find solutions to fresh water shortages
Omanis are being trained to conduct research in a bid to find solutions to the country’s scarcity of fresh water. More
MEDRC hosts first-ever forum for desal operators
The Middle East Desalination Research Centre (MEDRC), recently hosted a first-ever forum for operators of major water desalination plants in the Sultanate. More
Oman names preferred bidders for Sohar and Barka projects
The Oman Power and Water Procurement Company has named its preferred bidders for two major water desalination projects planned at Sohar and Barka on the sultanate's Batinah coast. More
MENA NWC First Biennial Congress
MENA NWC held its First Biennial Congress at the Hormuz Grand Hotel in Muscat, Oman. The meeting was supported by the Network’s two Centers in Oman: Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) and the Middle East Desalination Research Center (MEDRC). More
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RegionalNews
Saudi Arabia and Korea further SMART cooperation
Documents were signed in Riyadh by the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) - designer of the SMART (System-integrated Modular Advanced Reactor) - and Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (KA-CARE). More
UAE Water is released from several dams to feed underground aquifers
Water is being released from several dams in the country’s central region in a move to feed underground aquifers. The measures, by the Ministry of Environment and Water, aim to improve water security. More
Iran to Supply Water Treatment Materials to Iraq
Iraq‘s Ministry of Construction and Housing and Public Municipalities is reported to be about to sign a contract worth 10 billion Iraqi dinars ($8.6 million; 260 billion Iranian rials) with an Iranian company to buy chlorine and alum for water purification. More
Jordan SUEZ inaugurates the extension of the largest waste water plant
The SUEZ Group and its partners inaugurated the extension of the As Samra wastewater treatment plant, in the presence of the Jordanian Prime Minister, Adbullah Ensour, the Minister of Water and Irrigation, Hazem El Nasser, and Marie-Ange Debon, Senior Executive Vice-President in charge of the International Division of SUEZ More
Egypt Toshka sees first solar-powered water well
Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Hossam Moghazi opened on Thursday October 22nd the first government-built, solar-powered water well in Toshka .More
Tunisia BeWater works with youth in WRM & climate change adaptation
Protection of environment, water resource and dams requires the use of water purification plants, whose number will be doubled to reach 200 facilities in 2015, the director general of the National Purification Office, Karim Hasni, said in early last September. More
Morocco FAO warns Morocco on water shortage
Water scarcity will weigh on food security, particularly in Africa, and Mickael George Hage, the representative of FAO (United Nations Food and Agriculture) in Morocco recalls the challenges of countries facing water stress that planned for 2040. More
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InternationalNews
NAWADES project: Turning sea water into drinking water
The world needs more drinking water, without damaging ecosystems, and the sea is one possible source. More
Military Grade Water Purifier for Everyone
There aren’t many companies that can say they developed an outdoor water purification device specifically for use by the US military…and took six years to be sure they got it right. More
GWI: Desalination passes low water mark
Market activity reached a 13-year low in 2014, according to GWI DesalData’s latest annual data sweep. More
Mobile free application: to help homeowners diagnose potential water quality problems
B.F. Environmental Consultants launched a new mobile app that makes water quality information available for homeowners, according to a press release. More
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AWARDS & VACANCIES
TUM DeSal Challenge 2016
The competition is an initiative of the Institute for Thermodynamics at the University of Technology, Munich. The TUM DeSal Challenge is a construction competition during which students develop their own energy-self-sufficient desalination plant. The competition is being held regularly at the TU München and is unique in Germany. More
Devlina Das
Devlina Das, a young researcher from Chennai, in eastern India, has developed a unique, solar-powered desalination process intended for large-scale use. For her efforts, Ms. Das has been awarded the RELX Group’s Environmental Challenge, which promotes projects that develop a way to “provide sustainable access to safe water where it is presently at risk.” More
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PUBLICATIONS
- The Middle East Desalination Research Centre (MEDRC) is calling on the desalination industry worldwide to submit case studies that might be included in a guidance manual on marine algal blooms. More
- Cooperative water allocation under economic and hydro–political asymmetry: This is the title of new publication by Lucas Beck (CIS, ETHZ, Zurich). More
- Towards a Regional Collaborative Strategy on Sustainable Agricultural Water Management and Food Security in the Near East and North Africa Region: FAO has launched a Regional Initiative on Water Scarcity in Near East and North Africa to assist countries in identifying and streamlining policies, governance and best practices that can significantly sustainably improve agriculture productivity and food security in the region. More
- “Science diplomacy and transboundary water management: The Orontes River case”: is a new publication by R. Ballabio, F.G. Comair, M. Scalet, M. Scoullos (Editors). More
- Paper Cautions Against Oversimplified Interpretation Of GRACE Groundwater Data: NASA’s Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) has provided useful information about global groundwater depletion, but insufficient attention has been placed on its limitations, concludes a paper published in Groundwater, a journal of the National Ground Water Association. More
- Secure and Sustainable Power Generation in a Water-Constrained World: Is the title of a new report published by the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS), Potsdam, on October 2015. More
- The next edition of the UNESCO Science Report is being launched on World Science Day for Peace and Development (10 November 2015) at UNESCO headquarters in Paris. More
- The Mediterranean Yearbook, with more than sixty international contributors, tackles the main political, economical, social and cultural issues of the Euro-Mediterranean agenda. More
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CALL FOR PAPERS
- The National Technical University of Athens together with the Hellenic Water Association are delighted to organize the 13th IWA Specialized Conference on Small Water and Wastewater Systems together with the 5th IWA Specialized Conference on Resources-Oriented Sanitation. More
- The 10th ISEB Conference will be organized by the Environmental Engineering and Microbiology Research Group from UPC, and will be held in Barcelona in June 1-3, 2016. More
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TENDERS & PROPOSALS
- Oman to issue tenders for two projects: Oman Power and Water Procurement Company (OPWP) is poised to issue a prequalification tender to build new water desalination plants across the Sultanate. More
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TRAINING
- Water diplomacy workshop: An innovative approach to address complex water problems is needed to address present and future needs of cities, agriculture, energy security, the environment and public health. More
- Water desalination using membranes and harmful algal blooms: The seminar topics include theoretical and practical information about performance and operating conditions of reverse osmosis and nano filtration technologies for brackish and seawater desalting. More
- The Middle East Desalination Research Center is organizing a two days training course. This training program provides practical understanding of chemical cleaning which can be expensive, time consuming and may decrease plant performance when it is frequently performed. More
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