Challenge-driven cooperation is a crucial shot to provide coherent and continuous cross-border dialogue and process including sustained awareness-raising of public authorities and policy-makers at regional/national level, capacity building, easy access to information and a friendly use of tools for mutual learning. This approach can contribute to mitigating local water crisis, a common challenge in the Mediterranean, through facilitating general access and promotion of best practices including the improvement of treated wastewater reuse as a Non-Conventional Water Resource (NCWR). Moreover, indication shows weakness in the multi-level governance and law enforcement, in planning, managerial and operational capacities, further than low-level involvement of the stakeholders in the decision-making process. MEDWAYCAP project will face these issues and address the final beneficiaries, to be equipped with state-of-the-art knowledge on NCWR techniques, management, planning and skills to reuse at territorial level for domestic and agricultural purpose thanks to the well organised capitalization platforms for networking and knowledge transfer and capacity building tool box. The project has been structured to: transfer and “upgrade” knowledge; reinforce new\existing networks & alliances; raise awareness among public authorities, policy-makers and “challenge owners” about NCWR measures and related opportunities for planning policies and related funding measures.

Objective

To embrace the non-conventional water reuse and management in the Mediterranean region through the promotion of sustainable strategies and technological innovations.

What will be improved

MEDWAYCAP project will foster NCWR integration into the water governance system and related business opportunities in the context of the circular economy. The transfer of innovation and outputs resulting from cross-border collaboration among local and regional authorities and potential financial organizations will encourage the enforcement of several regulations and legal provisions governing the NCW use and, more important, creating the bases for a deep discussion on a better water governance leading to actual improvements. Local communities will be empowered and opportunities for investments and new jobs related to water management at multiple levels in both rural and urban areas will be seized. Moreover, MEDWAYCAP will support the creation of framework conditions for people-to people collaboration, mobilizing people’s creativity and encouraging the participation of civil society and socio-economic stakeholders in local planning process.

Who will benefit

• Water authorities, chambers of commerce, local/regional Authorities, Ministries
• Public and private business sector
• Practitioners and labor force
• Water Users’ Associations, NGOs, community-based organizations, farmer organizations
• Scientists and development agents
• Youth networks
• Mediterranean political platforms and regional organizations

Expected Results

• At least 480 persons involved in 20 measures and initiatives to showcase, exchange, test and transfer water supply & demand solutions to end-users in order to improve water use efficiency and quality and use of NCW resources for domestic and agricultural purposes
• 1 “ready-to-use package” - best practices, methodologies and tools – to boost NCWR acceptance and use
• 1 interactive capitalisation platform for networking and knowledge transfer
• 7 national alliances and Initiatives for replicability and investments in sustainable development
• 7 inventories for business opportunities for NCW solutions in the context of the circular economy
• 7 action plans for fostering NCWR integration into the water governance system