News and events

As water scarcity intensifies across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), governments and experts are looking for sustainable solutions to close the water gap. Javier Mateo-Sagasta, Senior Researcher and Coordinator for Water Quality at IWMI, discusses in this interview the social perceptions, economic constraints, and policy challenges that hinder water reuse in the region. He also explains how AI and remote sensing can help countries like Egypt optimize wastewater management and move toward a more circular water economy.

The ReWater MENA project, a project funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and led by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), reached its end after four intense years of collaborative research between different partners.

Water is part of every step in the food value chain, from food production to processing and consumption. A dependency that is hampering food security in a water scarce region such as the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

Water is part of every step in the food value chain, from food production to processing and consumption. This dependency is hampering food security in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

Comprising 11 of the 17 most water-stressed countries in the world, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is considered the most water-scarce region in the world, according to UNICEF.

Recycling water could supplement, or substitute water needs in sectors suffering from water shortage, reduce groundwater pumping and alleviate the use of freshwater in the agricultural sector, researchers of the "Water reuse in Middle East and North Africa: A sourcebook” have reported.

The ReWater MENA project has been working since 2018 on expanding the safe reuse of water in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), with a focus on Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon. After four years of many learnings, dialogues, collaborations and knowledge production about water reuse in the region, the closing workshop will be the occasion to synthesize the key learnings and practical outputs of the project.

Water scarcity and pollution are major threats for human development in the Middle East, and Lebanon is no exception. Wastewater treatment and its reuse in agriculture can contribute to addressing the increasing water crisis in the region. But, what is the actual potential of water reuse as a solution for agriculture in Lebanon?

The Second Regional Science-Policy Dialogue on “Innovative Solutions and Policy Actions for Water Reuse in the MENA Region” was held in Cairo, Egypt, on the 5 & 6 of July 2022. The two-day event brought together different stakeholders to reflect on the diversity of challenges and solutions related to water reuse in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.