Planning water use

Water reuse in MENA

The MENA water challenge

The population of the MENA region has increased by more than fifty percent in the last two decades reaching 418 million in 2020 – and is expected to keep growing rapidly up to 680 million in 2050.
Such population growth, together with a rapid urbanization, agricultural expansion and intensification and changing consumption patterns, is forecasted to drive the increase of water demand by 50% in 2050.

Population growth and urbanisation for the MENA countries

Water stress in the MENA region is greater than in any other region in the world. Out of the 17 countries at the highest risk of water scarcity in the world 12 are in MENA. Currently, the average per capita renewable water resources availability is ten times less than the worldwide average (FAO 2022).

Renewable fresh water sources

Wastewater as part of the problem and as part of the solution

Wastewater is part of the problem and part of the solution to the MENA water crisis.
Wastewater as a problem: Wastewater production grows as population, urbanization, and income per capita grow but in MENA countries still there is a long way to go in wastewater treatment to catch up with wastewater production growth. Many MENA countries are substantially improving their wastewater treatment rate, however about 40 % of produced domestic wastewater, and a substantial portion of industrial wastewater in the region, are still left untreated, posing serious risks on human health and ecosystems and reducing the amount of fresh water that is safe to use.
Wastewater as a solution: Wastewater is the only water source that is growing and contains resources that can be productive. Water and nutrients to irrigate and fertilize more than 2.6 million hectares. Carbon to produce methane with a caloric value to provide electricity to 8 million households.

Proportion of domestic wastewater that is safely treated

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CountryTreated
wastewater (%)
Untreated
wastewater (%)
Morocco3664
Mauritania1288
Algeria7624
Lybia1783
Egypt4657
Sudan397
Palestine6238
Jordan8218
Syria4555
Lebanon4654
KSA8020
Yemen3466
Iraq3763
Kuwait8515
Bahrain964
Qatar991
UAE964
Oman4258

Proportion of domestic wastewater safely treated in 2020 as per (WHO 2021)
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Types and examples of uses of reclaimed water

Agricultural and forestry irrigation

Agricultural and forestry irrigation

Landscape irrigation

Landscape irrigation

Industrial uses

Industrial uses

Groundwater recharge

Groundwater recharge

Recreational uses

Recreational uses

Environmental uses

Environmental uses

Potable reuse

Potable reuse

Non-potable urban uses

Non-potable urban uses

Wastewater is only a waste if we decide to waste it

The potential for resource recovery from municipal wastewater in MENA is still untapped.

The ReWaterMENA project has made the largest inventory of projects for direct water reuse in the region so far. These are projects where reclaimed water is used directly for different purposes including the irrigation of agriculture and planted forests, landscaping (including golf courses), industrial processes, environmental uses and others. The number of projects for direct water resue has doubled every decade since 1990 and now the region has more than 400. Despite the progress, only 10-11% of the generated municipal wastewater in the region is (treated and) reused directly, while 36% is reused indirectly, many times informally and unsafely because of the lack of treatment, and around 54% of the municipal wastewater is lost in the sea or evaporated with no productive use. The recovery of lost wastewater could additionally irrigate and fertilize more than 1.3 million hectares.

Wastewater fate

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The number of reuse projects has doubled every decade since 1990

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Water reuse projects in MENA as of 2020

MENA needs to accelerate change for more and safer water reuse

In the MENA region, water reuse has been expanding since the 1970’s driven by different environmental, economic and socio-political circumstances and MENA countries have considerably different trajectories in terms of wastewater treatment and reuse growth.

Ultimately, the factors that will contribute to accelerate change include: participatory stakeholder processes and effective communication that improves acceptability; economic and finance models that improve cost recovery and sustainability; effective and harmonic policies that address institutional fragmentation; safety measures from farm to fork; adequate regulations that are ambitious but affordable; and gender mainstreaming in water reuse projects and policies that ensures equitable participation and benefit sharing.

Historical development of agricultural water reuse quality regulations in five MENA countries

Policy orientation in agricultural water reuse

Main policies and quality regulations

1950

1973
First water reuse health guidelines
WHO

First legal tests prohibiting wastewater discharge in the environment and the use of polluted water

Jordan Municipality Law (No 20/1955)
Egypt regulation (No 93/1962)
Tunisia Water Code (1975)
Lebanon (Decree 8735/1974 and Decree 8765/1976)

1975

1989
Updated guidelines
WHO

First legal tests prohibiting wastewater discharge in the environment and the use of polluted water

Egypt first standards for drainage water reuse (Law No 48/1984)
Jordan first standards for water reuse in agriculture (Law No 2/1982)
Tunisia first standards for water reuse in agriculture and discharge of water in the environment (1985)

1990

1992
Water reuse agronomic guidelines
FAO

Water reuse starts being integrated in most countries national water strategies
Reuse projects expand
Some countries updated their water reuse standards

Water Act in Morocco (1995)
Jordan Wastewater management strategy including reuse (1998)
Tunisia First strategy of mobilisation of water resources including water reuse (1990)

2000

2006
Multi-barrier approach
WHO

Water reuse becomes a national goal in all countries
New strategies and regulations supported by international Organisations are developed to expand and improve reuse

Moroccan regulations on water for irrigation (2002)
Jordan update of reuse standards (No 893/2006)
Egyptian Standard of Wastewater Reuse (No 501/2005) revised in 2015)
First Lebanon water guidelines under a FAO project (2010)
Ongoing Egypt Water Reuse Strategy supports by IWMI
Ongoing revision of Lebanon standards supported by IWMI (2021)
Ongoing revision of Tunisian standards (2020)
Jordan Water Substitution and Reuse Policy (2016)

1950

1973
First water reuse health guidelines
WHO

First legal tests prohibiting wastewater discharge in the environment and the use of polluted water

Jordan Municipality Law (No 20/1955)
Egypt regulation (No 93/1962)
Tunisia Water Code (1975)
Lebanon (Decree 8735/1974 and Decree 8765/1976)

1975

1989
Updated guidelines
WHO

First legal tests prohibiting wastewater discharge in the environment and the use of polluted water

Egypt first standards for drainage water reuse (Law No 48/1984)
Jordan first standards for water reuse in agriculture (Law No 2/1982)
Tunisia first standards for water reuse in agriculture and discharge of water in the environment (1985)

1990

1992
Water reuse agronomic guidelines
FAO

Water reuse starts being integrated in most countries national water strategies
Reuse projects expand
Some countries updated their water reuse standards

Water Act in Morocco (1995)
Jordan Wastewater management strategy including reuse (1998)
Tunisia First strategy of mobilisation of water resources including water reuse (1990)

2000

2006
Multi-barrier approach
WHO

Water reuse becomes a national goal in all countries
New strategies and regulations supported by international Organisations are developed to expand and improve reuse

Moroccan regulations on water for irrigation (2002)
Jordan update of reuse standards (No 893/2006)
Egyptian Standard of Wastewater Reuse (No 501/2005) revised in 2015)
First Lebanon water guidelines under a FAO project (2010)
Ongoing Egypt Water Reuse Strategy supports by IWMI
Ongoing revision of Lebanon standards supported by IWMI (2021)
Ongoing revision of Tunisian standards (2020)
Jordan Water Substitution and Reuse Policy (2016)

Towards a more harmonious planning and governance of agricultural water reuse projects in the MENA region

Improved acceptance

Harmonious governance

Gender equity inclusion

Improved cost recovery

Harmonious governance

This brief provides guidance to public authorities in the MENA region willing to develop and improve governance frameworks related to water reuse in agriculture.

Improved acceptance

This brief provides a greater understanding of the issues that hinder acceptance of water reuse across the MENA region, and tools and strategies to overcome them

Gender equity inclusion

This brief provides guidance for governments, and development and financing institutions to enable project designers and implementers to understand and address the differences between and among women, men, girls, and boys in terms of their relative ownership, distribution and control over resources, opportunities, constraints, and power across the project cycle.

Improved cost recovery

This brief provides guidance that can be used to develop bankable water reuse models in the context of the MENA region, to support the public and private sectors, investors, and donors in developing water reuse models.

Discover more information in the new IWMI book which brings new insights and recommendations for more and safer water reuse in MENA

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