WASTE-WATER REUSE FOR IRRIGATION IN THE NEAR-EAST REGION

Limited water supplies available in many countries of the Near East has led to a growing interest in the rational use of this increasingly important resource. Because wastewater irrigation ensures the reuse of resources and achieves better treatment of wastewater, plans have recently been formulated for large-scale use of this non-conventional source of water. Consequently, in several countries of the Near East Region, wastewater reuse in agriculture is an accomplished and accepted fact, with a high degree of social and political commitment. Intensive and direct reuse is being practised in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Libya, the United Arab Emirates and Tunisia. Direct, but unsupervised reuse is being practised in Yemen Arab Republic, Morocco and Syria. All forms of wastewater reuse is practised in Egypt. Indirect and direct restricted reuse is practised in Jordan. However, given the health and environmental hazards associated with reuse of wastewater, the formalization of wastewater treatment and reuse in all countries is urgent. Furthermore, in most countries poor coordination amongst the different agencies concerned with water supply, wastewater treatment, irrigation, public health and the environment is a key constraint for further wastewater reuse.