11033 Every Brown Drop Counts Wastewater Reuse in the Arab Region

Climate change poses water security risks. In a context where global water demand is expected to increase, climate hazards, particularly droughts and floods, are further contributing to the rapid deterioration of water sources quality and reduction of surface flows and groundwater recharge, threatening water security at national and regional levels. The Arab Region hosts 14 out of 17 of the most water scarce countries in the world. Current and projected water deficits in the region have necessitated an intense focus on efficiency, innovation, and use of technologies to conserve, recycle and reuse available freshwater to the greatest extent possible. Wastewater management has a critical role to play in this respect. In Jordan for example, around 90 % of the treated wastewater is being reused. However, safely reusing treated wastewater on a large scale also holds many challenges and obstacles to overcome - especially in the Arab region. The session will invite participants on a Journey to the Arab region to jointly explore and discuss the potentials, necessities and challenges of safely reusing treated wastewater. We will showcase experiences from different countries in the region and co-develop solutions - from standards and regulations, technologies and the social and economic end use.