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Newsletter and Technical Publications
<Sourcebook of Alternative Technologies for Freshwater Augmentation
in West
Asia>
4. METHODOLOGY USED TO PREPARE THE SOURCE BOOK
The following steps were used to prepare this Source Book:
- Relying on its ACSAD water resources database, the Arab Center carried out a general
assessment of the technowlogies used in the involved Arab countries to increase freshwater supply,
and defined their relative importance for each country.
- An expert from each of the water authorities involved in the project was invited to contribute
to its results by providing relevant information on the alternative technologies used to augment
freshwater supplies in the various Arab countries of West Asia.
- The Arab Center prepared guidance for the project in the form of a bulletin describing the goals
of the proposed contents of the technical reports to be received from participating countries, and a
general listing of alterantive water technologies available in the region.
- The Arab Center provided the experts of the involved countries with the guiding scientific
material, and discussed the projec objectives, tasks and methodology of implementation with them.
- The involved experts carried out a comprehensive survey of the available references for water
technologies utilized to increase freshwater supplies, including necessary field surveys within
the available time frame and resources, and prepared the final country reports for each of the
participating countries.
- Upon receipt of the individual country reports, the Arab Center analyzed their scientific
material, including their comparison with the ACSAD database on water resources. Based on this
comparison, the contents of the final report were identified.
- Based on this input material, the Arab Center subsequently prepared a final report draft, and
forwarded copies to the involved countries, and to the UNEP Regional Office for West Asia (ROWA),
for review and comment.
- The Arab Center and ROWA organized a four-day workshop, in April 1999, at the Arab Center
main office in Damascus (1) to review the range of alternative technologies used in the region
to augment freshwater supplies, (2) to present the main pivots for such technologies, (3) to
present case studies of their successful utilization, (4) to analyze and select the technologies
and case studies to be included in the Source Book, and (5) to decide on the final contents of
the draft Source Book proposed by the Arab Center. The meeting was attended by the experts who
had prepared the individual country reports, as well as the experts of the Arab Center and the
UNEP Regional Office.
- Based on the above-noted workshop discussions and conclusions, the Arab Center prepared the final
version of the Source Book. It was than forwarded to the UNEP Regional Office for West Asia (ROWA)
for its review and comments. Following this review exercise, the final report was prepared and printed.
- UNEPs Integrated Freshwater Programme, and its International Environment and Technology Center
(IETC) carried out an assessment of the project and considered follow-up actions to support the
utilization of suitable technologies for augmenting freshwater supplies in the West Asia region,
including organizing specialized workshops and presenting the results of successful projects.
5. CONTENTS OF THIS SOURCE BOOK
This Source Book comprises four major parts. The first provides a brief overview of the status
of freshwater resources and demands in the Arab countries of West Asia, with the goal of
illustrating the need to identify and effectively use alternative technologies for increasing
freshwater supplies. This part also outlines the background and objectives of the project,
the mechanisms used for its implementation, and its conclusions and recommendations.
The second part of the Source Book deals with the technologies utilized in countries of the region,
encompassing three main chapters, including (1) Freshwater Quantity-Increasing Technologies, (2)
Water Quality Improvement Technologies, and (3) Water Preservation Technologies.
Each major technology was presented separately, with the following information provided for each
of them:
- Technical Description Eincluding definition of the technology, description of its
components, mechanism, installation requirements, suitable conditions, and main design considerations
to be followed;
- Extent of Use - the level of the use of the technology in the various countries,
illustrated with clear examples, as well as identification of the locations where the technology
is being utilized;
- Operation and Maintenance - the level of difficulty or ease of operation and maintenance
of the technology, and the level of skills needed to implement it;
- Level of Interest - the extent of interest shown by citizens, local communities and their
organizations, governmental authorities and non-governmental organizations in the technology being
considered, and the implications of this interest on the transfer and support of the technology;
- Costs - the capital needed for installation of the technology and its operation and
maintenance, expressed in U.S. dollars (US$);
- Effectiveness of the Technology - the relevant quantitative data to illustrate that the
considered technology can effectively achieve its purpose, compared to other available technologies;
- Suitability - the environmental conditions (particularly geographic conditions) best
suited for application of the considered technology;
- Advantages - the technical, economic and social benefits that can be gained by using
the considered technology;
- Disadvantages - the technical, economic and social shortcomings that preclude or restrict
the use of a given technology, with emphasis on its negative environmental impacts;
- Cultural Acceptance - cultural factors, social traditions or religious beliefs that may
restrict or prevent the use of a given technology;
- Further Development of the Technology - any developments required for improving a given
technology, overcoming its disadvanttages and/or enhancing its application to other communities and
environmental conditions;
- Information Sources - sources of information consulted for the Source Book, including
references to personal contacts with experts and specialists in specific topics and other relevant
contacts (telephone and fax numbers, postal and electronic mail addresses, etc.).
The third part of the Source Book includes 10 case studies dealing with selected technologies
being successfully applied in various countries in the region. The purpose of the case studies is
to illustrate the previous experiences in utilizing these technologies, based on the specific technical,
social and economic conditions under which it was applied.
The fourth part of the Source Book identifies and acknowledges the participants in the project
and the workshop, including official national, Arab and international authorities, and contributing
experts and specialists.
6. CONCLUSIONS
Table 1 summarizes the conclusions reached within the framework of this project.
It identifies the alternative technologies on the basis of the groups in which they were classified.
These groups comprise (1) freshwater quantity increase technologies, (2) freshwater quality improvement
technologies, and (3) freshwater preservation technologies. The table also identifies the sector
and country using each technology. The second part of the Source Book contians a full description
of each technology, and further details on its use is presented in case studies in the third part.
In other words, a general description of each technology is provided inTable 1, with further details
provided in the second and third parts of the manual.
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Table
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