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Contributions from
the Column
InWEnt Forum
HIV/AIDS – Health workers under pressure
Waste water – an untapped resource
12/2005 |
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[ Drinking water ]
Efficient wastewater management
protects scarce resources
Where recycled wastewater is used for irrigating agriculture, precious stocks of drinking water can be conserved. In the Middle East, the situation is particularly challenging. InWEnt partners in Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Turkey face widely differing problems.
[ By Ismail Al Baz ]
An estimated 30 % of people in the Middle East live in homes with no connection to a wastewater disposal system. 30 to 50 % of all sewage goes untreated, causing hygiene problems and increasing the risk of infectious disease. Added to this is the impact of pollution and eutrophication due to industrial, agricultural and urban sewage, which is further diminishing the quality and quantity of the region's water resources. Effective and efficient wastewater management is required to pave the way for water recycling, which is urgently needed because of a growing population, rising standards of living and urbanisation.
Compared with other countries in the region, Turkey is rich in water resources, yielding some 2,800 cubic metres of renewable water per capita a year. Still the country has considerable difficulties handling its wastewater. Modern sewage treatment plants are now in operation in many areas but the authorities still struggle to cope with growing wastewater management problems – especially in rural areas. Around 50 % of Turkish homes are connected to a wastewater disposal system. Only 10 % of sewage undergoes the kind of biological treatment that meets EU standards.
Jordan has only water for around 200 cubic metres per capita consumption a year; Palestine has just over 90 cubic metres. These are the countries in the region that suffer most from shortage of water. Their needs exceed the volume that can be delivered by renewable resources. Rapidly growing populations and rising living standards are widening the gap between supply and demand even more. In all the countries of the Middle East, the biggest consumer of water is agriculture.
Despite its dwindling significance, the farming sector in Jordan is still allocated 70 % of the water available. The main centre of irrigated agriculture is the Jordan Valley. Here, by keeping water prices low, the state-run Jordan Valley Authority makes it possible for farmers to cultivate their land on a profitable and intensive basis. Nevertheless, availability of water remains extremely uncertain. 60 % of fields are now irrigated using drip tubing, which reduces farm consumption by half. More savings – as well as increased efficiency – would be possible if water was systematically recycled. That, however, calls for systems that guarantee the hygiene and chemical cleanliness of the treated water.
Serious problems
Most cities in Jordan today operate sewage systems. In the past ten years, sewage treatment plants have been set up in many parts of the country. Today, more than 80 % of wastewater is treated and purified. But many old treatment plants in Jordan face serious problems. There is still a need for efficient treatment and recycling standards as well as environmental and health monitoring mechanisms.
In Lebanon, the situation is even more complicated. There, wastewater management still presents a major challenge. Most cities lack modern infrastructures. Septic tanks are widely used by private households and frequently contaminate the groundwater below.
The problem is even worse in Palestine. Because of the lack of sewage plants, wastewater poses a real threat to groundwater. One litre of wastewater pollutes eight litres of drinking water. 80 % of wastewater at present goes untreated. Only a few cities have sewage plants (Al Biereh, Gaza). Facilities are planned for Nablus, Sulfit, Hebron and Ramallah but political restrictions repeatedly prevent plans being translated into action.
Constant shortage of water is a potential source of conflict, both nationally and internationally. According to the World Bank, the five percent of the world population living in the Middle East and North Africa have less than one percent of global renewable drinking water resources. Since 1960, per capita availability of water has decreased by 62 %, and it is likely to halve again over the next 30 years. In Jordan, Gaza and the West Bank, only 200 cubic metres (or less) of water a year is available for each man, woman and child. 50 % of the water used in Jordan comes from non-renewable fossil resources.
Water is vital for economic development. Because there are no more natural resources to be tapped, recycled greywater is increasingly used for irrigation. This conserves drinking water. Other efforts designed to have the same effect include improving local supply systems and repairing or replacing leaking pipes; 40 % of drinking water in Jordan seeps into the ground from pipes that are cracked or perforated. Also, on the public information front, media campaigns broadcast advice on sustainable water management.
“With an integrated water resource management strategy, the problems of water shortage and insufficient wastewater treatment facilities can be overcome”, says Jordan’s ex-minister for water and irrigation, Hazem al Naser. “That means defining quality standards and guidelines for wastewater treatment and recycling, employing effective treatment technologies, developing a relevant skill base, strengthening regional cooperation and heightening public awareness”. Although the idea of recycling water has been around for many years and is successfully practised in Israel, Tunisia and Jordan, systematic use of the technique is not yet a reality.
InWEnt and its partners in the “Efficient Management of Wastewater Treatment and Reuse in the Mediterranean Countries” project want to change all that. With four million euros in backing from the EU and Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), they are set to help the countries in the region develop guidelines for cleaning and recycling wastewater. At the same time, five pilot plants – from low-cost to high-tech – are being set up as research facilities to test different recycling methods. InWEnt is working on the project with universities in Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon and Turkey. Its European partners are the Italian environment agency ENEA, the Technical University Hamburg-Harburg and the environmental consulting firm Adelphi Research.
Those who profit from the InWEnt courses in Jordan are mostly civil servants and specialists working for the ministry of water and irrigation, the Water Authority of Jordan and the Jordan Valley Authority. InWEnt holds regular meetings with the government, with representatives of the various international donors and with the German partners of the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) and the KfW development bank.
The infrastructure currently in place is not up to the task of recycling and safely disposing of wastewater. So debate in Jordan is also applied to the idea of privatising and decentralising the state-owned structures. This seems the only possible way to ensure effective and efficient management.
A decentralised structure could have the added advantage of involving the various stakeholders in decisions and enabling them to monitor operations. At present, volume and timing of water supply as well as provision of information are matters often decided by informal networks. What is crucial for the success of a switch to recycling is, ultimately, acceptance by the farming community and the public. There must be no crop failures for farmers and no health hazards for users or consumers. Besides substantial investments, this will require financial incentives for farmers to use the recycled water, water prices scaled according to quality, transparent record-keeping, scope for central control and a functioning quality monitoring system.
Advisors, farmers and engineers need to be familiarised with the new technology. That will take more than just money; above all, it will require a readiness to embrace political reform. The wastewater management systems of the past cannot meet the challenges of the future.
Dr. Ismail Al Baz
heads the InWEnt project office in Amman,
Jordan.
ismailalbaz@nets.com.jo
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