EMerging POllutants in Water

and WastewatER in Tunisia

Strengthening the Transformation Processes in MENA

through Networking and Structure Building

Prof. Dr. Müfit Bahadir

Aims and Scope

EM-PO-W-ER Tunisia

Mission Statement

Tunisia in its political, social, economic, and educational transformation process

is developing new structures for supporting universities and research centers

towards democracy and the principles of good university governance.

The Transformation Partnership Project EMPOWER Tunisia wants to initiate

a dialogue at scientific, educational, socio-cultural, and political levels

on the likely most emerging topic in the Middle East “Water and its Scarcity”.

Water is essential for the development of the country for food production,

health, and prosperity, thereby supporting the transformation processes

and political stability through meeting the demands of Tunisian people.

In Germany and Euro-Mediterranean Countries technologies and

management structures are established that could help Tunisia on its way.

This project will initiate a professional and intercultural dialogue between Tunisian

and German scientists, students, and stakeholders that helps finding solutions

in terms of technical measures and common intercultural understandings.

EM-PO-W-ER Tunisia

Aims and Scope

Almost all Arab Countries belong to the driest regions on the earth.

Reclaimed wastewater as a non-conventional water resource can partially fulfill

the irrigation water demand in agriculture.

There is a wide range of wastewater qualities used for irrigation:

raw (untreated), partially treated, diluted by mixing with drainage water,

or directly discharged in river basins after disposal, secondary, and tertiary treatment.

Increasing amounts of chemical pollutants are discharged into sewage,

causing various environmental and health impacts.

The Project EMPOWER Tunisia aims at building a network between universities,

research centres, stakeholders, and policy makers to monitor the current situation

of wastewater reuse in Tunisia and further Arab Countries, with an emphasis on

emerging pollutants in reclaimed wastewater and irrigated agricultural land,

and thereby capacity building for technicians, students, and young researchers.

EM-PO-W-ER Tunisia

Project Objectives

Overall Objectives - Improving the state of knowledge and skills on emerging pollutants in water resources,

- Developing sustainable solutions for the problems of irrigation water pollution,

- Supporting Tunisia as a country in democratic transition,

- Implementing the rules of good university governance.

Specific Objectives

- Implementing a strong network between universities, R&D centers and stakeholders,

- Developing a professional management structure in research and education,

- Stock taking of the current situation of emerging pollutants in water resources,

- Identifying the gap of environmental knowledge and developing suitable solutions,

- Further education and training courses for analytical and laboratory skills,

- Setting up a database for dealing with emerging pollutants in water for irrigation,

- Dissemination of the results through workshops and stakeholder conferences.

EM-PO-W-ER Tunisia

Project Objectives Overall Objectives

- Improving the state of knowledge on emerging pollutants in water resources,

- Developing sustainable solutions for the problems of irrigation water pollution,

- Supporting Tunisia as a country in democratic transition,

- Implementing the rules of good university governance

Through observance the principles of good governance as

“participation, consensus oriented, accountability, transparency, responsiveness,

effectiveness and efficiency, equity and inclusiveness, and following the rule of law

assures that corruption is minimized, the views of minorities are taken into account,

and the voices of the most vulnerable in society are heard in decision-making.

It is also responsive to the present and future needs of the society” (UNESCAP).1

Obeying these principles at universities and research centers,

and mutual respect from top to bottom is the rule at German institutions.

1UNESCAP: United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

EM-PO-W-ER Tunisia

Project Objectives

Overall Objectives

- Improving the state of knowledge on emerging pollutants in water resources,

- Developing sustainable solutions for the problems of irrigation water pollution.

- Supporting Tunisia as a country in democratic transition,

- Implementing the rules of good university governance,

Specific Objectives

- Implementing a strong network between universities, R&D centers, and stakeholders,

- Developing a professional and reliable management structure in research and education.

- Stock taking of the current situation of emerging pollutants in water resources,

- Identifying the gaps of environmental knowledge and developing suitable solutions,

- Further education and training courses for gaining analytical and technical skills,

- Setting up a database for dealing with emerging pollutants in water for irrigation,

- Dissemination of the results through workshops and stakeholder conferences.

EM-PO-W-ER Tunisia

Work Packages

WP1 Building a Professional Management Structure for Project Coordination

at INRGREF and the University of Sousse ISA CM

in accordance with good university governance

WP2 Conducting Scientific Research

on water pollution, treatment, and reuse in Tunisia, and its neighbours; development of

R&D projects on water treatment, based on renewable energy and re-growing biomass

WP3 Analyzing Data and Comparison with Euro-Mediterranean Countries

identification and filling of existing gaps of knowledge and skills

WP4 Building Capacity through Further Education and Results Dissemination

through organization of national and international conferences

jointly with Environmental Scientists from Exceed and Euro-Mediterranean Countries

WP5 Identification and Involvement of Stakeholders and Institutions

in water resources management and prevention of water pollution,

linking R&D, environmental, and health policy in Tunisia and its neighbours

WP6 Dissemination to stakeholders and decision makers

EM-PO-W-ER Tunisia

Work Packages

WP1 Building a Professional Management Structure for Project Coordination

at INRGREF and University of Sousse ISA CM

in accordance with good university governance

WP2 Conducting Scientific Research

on water pollution, treatment, and reuse in Tunisia, and its neighbours; development of

R&D projects on water treatment, based on renewable energy and re-growing biomass

WP3 Analyzing Data and Comparison with Euro-Mediterranean Countries

identification and filling of existing gaps of knowledge and skills

WP4 Building Capacity through Further Education and Results Dissemination

through organization of national and international conferences

jointly with Environmental Scientists from Exceed and Euro-Mediterranean Countries

WP5 Identification and Involvement of Stakeholders and Institutions

in water resources management and prevention of water pollution,

linking R&D, environmental, and health policy in Tunisia and its neighbours

WP6 Dissemination to stakeholders and decision makers

EM-PO-W-ER Tunisia

Work Packages

WP1 Building a Professional Management Structure for Project Coordination

at INRGREF and University of Sousse ISA CM

in accordance with good university governance

WP2 Conducting Scientific Research

on water pollution, treatment, and reuse in Tunisia, and its neighbours; development of

R&D projects on water treatment, based on renewable energy and re-growing biomass

WP3 Analyzing Data and Comparison with Euro-Mediterranean Countries

identification and filling of existing gaps of knowledge and skills

WP4 Building Capacity through Further Education and Results Dissemination

through organization of national and international conferences

jointly with Environmental Scientists from Exceed and Euro-Mediterranean Countries

WP5 Identification and Involvement of Stakeholders and Institutions

in water resources management and prevention of water pollution,

linking R&D, environmental, and health policy in Tunisia and its neighbours

WP6 Dissemination to stakeholders and decision makers

EM-PO-W-ER Tunisia

Work Packages

WP1 Building a Professional Management Structure for Project Coordination

at INRGREF and University of Sousse ISA CM

in accordance with good university governance

WP2 Conducting Scientific Research

on water pollution, treatment, and reuse in Tunisia, and its neighbours; development of

R&D projects on water treatment, based on renewable energy and re-growing biomass

WP3 Analyzing Data and Comparison with Euro-Mediterranean Countries

identification and filling of existing gaps of knowledge and skills

WP4 Building Capacity through Further Education and Results Dissemination

through organization of national and international conferences

jointly with Environmental Scientists from Exceed and Euro-Mediterranean Countries

WP5 Identification and Involvement of Stakeholders and Institutions

in water resources management and prevention of water pollution,

linking R&D, environmental, and health policy in Tunisia and its neighbours

WP6 Dissemination to stakeholders and decision makers

EM-PO-W-ER Tunisia

Work Packages

WP1 Building a Professional Management Structure for Project Coordination

at INRGREF and University of Sousse ISA CM

in accordance with good university governance

WP2 Conducting Scientific Research

on water pollution, treatment, and reuse in Tunisia, and its neighbours; development of

R&D projects on water treatment, based on renewable energy and re-growing biomass

WP3 Analyzing Data and Comparison with Euro-Mediterranean Countries

identification and filling of existing gaps of knowledge and skills

WP4 Building Capacity through Further Education and Results Dissemination

through organization of national and international conferences

jointly with Environmental Scientists from Exceed and Euro-Mediterranean Countries

WP5 Identification and Involvement of Stakeholders and Institutions

in water resources management and prevention of water pollution,

linking R&D, environmental, and health policy in Tunisia and its neighbours

WP6 Dissemination to stakeholders and decision makers

EM-PO-W-ER Tunisia

Work Packages

WP1 Building a Professional Management Structure for Project Coordination

at INRGREF and University of Sousse ISA CM

in accordance with good university governance

WP2 Conducting Scientific Research

on water pollution, treatment, and reuse in Tunisia, and its neighbours; development of

R&D projects on water treatment, based on renewable energy and re-growing biomass

WP3 Analyzing Data and Comparison with Euro-Mediterranean Countries

identification and filling of existing gaps of knowledge and skills

WP4 Building Capacity through Further Education and Results Dissemination

through organization of national and international conferences

jointly with Environmental Scientists from Exceed and Euro-Mediterranean Countries

WP5 Identification and Involvement of Stakeholders and Institutions

in water resources management and prevention of water pollution,

linking R&D, environmental, and health policy in Tunisia and its neighbours

WP6 Dissemination to stakeholders and decision makers

EM-PO-W-ER Tunisia

Project Course

First Year

- Establishing the coordination and management structures,

- Introducing the principles of “good university governance”,

- Data mining and evaluation regarding the topic of emerging pollutants,

- Organization of a stakeholder workshop and discussing the project aims and course

with scientists from MENA, MESAEP, and Exceed,

- Starting the exchange training program for residual analytical techniques,

- Linking students, researchers, and teachers on exchange with their peer-groups at TUBS,

- Launching an “EMPOWER Tunisia” Website for information provision,

- Preparation of an intermediate report and its presentation on the results workshop.

EM-PO-W-ER Tunisia

Project Course

Second Year

- Selection of experimental sites,

- Analyses of water and soil samples for emerging pollutants,

- Data collection and setting up the timeline with various stakeholders,

- Continuation the training courses for capacity building and conducting confirmation analyses,

- Involvement of further students, researchers, and stakeholders into the project,

- Preparation of the final report and presentation on the Closure Workshop December 2013.

Third Year

- Extending the collaboration to the Arab neighbors and MESAEP,

- Organization of advanced courses in environmental analytical chemistry,

- Continuation of analyses campaigns of water and soil for emerging pollutants,

- Organization of an international Symposium in Tunis on emerging pollutants in water bodies.

EM-PO-W-ER Tunisia

EM-PO-W-ER Tunisia

Pictures from Kick Off Meeting in May 2012

Work Share

EM-PO-W-ER Tunisia

Pictures from Site Visit in May 2012

Wastewater used

for Irrigation

EM-PO-W-ER Tunisia

Pictures from Stakeholder Workshop in September 2012

Venue in Hammamet

DAAD Head Office in Tunis

INRGREF

In Tunis

EM-PO-W-ER Tunisia

Pictures from Exchange to Braunschweig

WWTP and Sludge Digesters in Braunschweig

Exchange Team Lord Mayor‘s Office Town Hall in Goslar

Homage to Emperor Fairytales from

Witches & Dwarfs

EMerging POllutants in Water and WastewatER in Tunisia

Strengthening the Transformation Processes in MENA through Networking and Structure Building

Thank you for your attention

EM-PO-W-ER Tunisia

http://empowertunisia.alumniportal.com/