Efficient Management of Wastewater

Water in the MEDA region is a crucial issue, with regard to the availability of ren- able water resources in the MEDA countries most will face even more serious pr- lems in the management of their limited water resources in the near future. This will require a lot of efforts to be made for more efficient management of water, in order to secure the economic and social development of the coming generations. According to the FAO (2006) the average of renewable water resources in the MENA region is below the limit of 1000 CM per Capita and Year, for Egypt for example is this 794 CM, for Algeria und Tunisia 481 CM, for Jordan 180, Yemen 234, and Palestine 100 which are far below the limit of 500 CM that classify these countries as the most water stressed countries worldwide. The alarming aspect is the fact that the limited renewable available water resources development have been decreasing in the last thirty years, between 1974 – 2000 we had 66% decrease for Jordan and 64 % for Yemen, due to the increasing population growth and the increase of water demands for agriculture, industrial and domestic use. These figures underline the importance of the topics of this book that shall give help to experts and decision makers to over come the future water resources problems in the region.

Water reuse management is one of the challenges all water scarce countries have to deal with in the coming decades. Many Mediterranean countries are currently facing serious problems regarding the supply of sufficient water resources to cover their increasing water supply demands. In the year 2025, countries like Jordan, Israel and Palestine will have less than 150 cubic meters per capita and year. Other countries like Syria and Lebanon, at present classified as "water rich", will also face similar water stress problems during the next two decades. Therefore, these countries need water strategies that have to take into account alternative measures to cope with this situation. Water reuse is one of the essential options to be considered for the development of national water policies and strategies.

The present book highlights non-conventional solutions within the field of wastewater treatment and reuse predominantly for professionals and decision makers. It focuses on technologies like anaerobic and extensive treatment of municipal, domestic wastewater and grey water which are reliable, sustainable, low cost and suitable for rural and sub urban areas. Additionally, particular innovative on site concepts are presented. Within water reuse as overall objective, guidelines and recommendations as well as social aspects of water reuse are presented and discussed.