2008-2009 Activity Programme on Water

The activities planned for 2008-2009 will focus on:

To make data on water available on the Plan Bleu website and to develop a geographical information system: The data on water resources and demands collected by Plan Bleu, with the contribution of its network of international and national experts, will be entered into an information system as part of the reinforcement of the Mediterranean Information System on Environment and Sustainable Development (MISESD) under two request types:

• Predefined requests with charts, graphics and maps directly accessible on the Plan Bleu website
• Dynamic requests by an interface giving access to temporal series and a geographical interface.

The follow up of the Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development “water” chapter, by focusing on the priority indicator on water use efficiency (sectorial efficiencies and global efficiency) which allows to follow up the efforts made regarding water savings through demand management.
Download the paper "Improving water use efficiency for facing water stress and shortage in the Mediterranean"

The economic approach of water demand management: Plan Bleu wishes to start some work on “an economized water” evaluation cost and to compare it to the “newly mobilized/produced” water cost, in order to make an estimation cost of financial savings resulting from the implementation of water demand management policies compared to supply management policies. It will then be an evaluation on:

• The cost of improvement of water efficiency in the different using sectors and in the context specific to each Mediterranean country.
• The water efficiency level corresponding to a technical and economical optimum (in the different using sectors and in the context specific to each country).

Water and climate change in the Mediterranean:

• State of the art of the knowledge and the works carried out in the Mediterranean on the “water and climate change” issue;
• Improvement of the knowledge on the foreseeable climate change impacts on water resources and demands, and updating of the Plan Bleu prospective scenarios - integrating the climate change factor - to inform and alert the stakeholders and decision-makers;
• The promotion of water demand management as an adaptation measure to climate change.

The interaction between water, energy and climate change in the Mediterranean: The activities under that theme, initiated in 2007 (cf. MEDITEP workshop), target the evaluation and analysis of:

• The future energy needs to cope with the increasing water demand,
• The future water needs to ensure the energy production,
• The vulnerability of the “water-energy” system to climate change impacts,
• The possible options and works in progress in the countries to adapt the “water-energy” system to climate change constraints.

In 2008-2009:

• A regional study on desalination in the Mediterranean will be carried out,
• 2 pilot studies will be initiated in Egypt and Morocco,
• Plan Bleu will organize a “Mediterranean session” as part of the International Conference “Resolving the water-energy nexus” (UNESCO Paris, 26-28 November 2008).

Organization of a Mediterranean Session as part of the 5 th World Water Forum (Istanbul, March 2009) . This Mediterranean initiative was launched in order to make the Mediterranean be part of this Forum through a regional event but with an international significance.

Supported by number of regional partners in the water sector (the Mediterranean Water Institute, Plan Bleu, the Global Water Partnership for the Mediterranean, the MAP Priority Actions Programme Regional Activity Center…) and Mediterranean countries representatives, the Mediterranean session will consist in:

• A round table on the theme “water and coastal development in the Mediterranean”
• Thematic sessions on priority issues for the region: risk management, water governance, water demand management, the integrated water management in coastal zones.

Publications and communication actions :

• Production of Plan Bleu Notes on i) Virtual water and ii) the interactions between water, energy and climate change in the Mediterranean,
• Preparation of a synthesis report to valorize the activities carried out in 2006-2007 regarding water demand management in the Mediterranean, and in particular the results of the Zaragoza regional workshop on “Water demand management, progress and policies”.
• Contribution to the “Water scarcity and drought” report realized as part of the Mediterranean Component of the European Union Water Initiative, edition of articles for different newspapers and magazines (Annuaire de la Méditerrannée Med.2008, Sécheresse…), etc.

Contact
Mohammed BLINDA: Phone (direct): + 33 (0) 4 92 38 71 49, Email: mblinda@planbleu.org
Gaëlle THIVET: Plone (direct): + 33 (0) 4 92 38 71 37, Email: gthivet@planbleu.org