Technopole_Borj_Cedria

Séminaire on Water Innovations and Young Entrepreneurs, 2012, Beirut

Water innovation and ecosystem for sustainable development in Tunisia Prof. A. Ghorbel, CBBC Technoparc Borj Cedria

Water is always changing states between liquid, vapor, and ice, with these processes happening in the blink of an eye and over millions of years

Rivers and lakes that supply surface water for human uses constitute only 0.007 percent of total water

Water: the hottest issue in the dry areas Case of Tunisia  Water: Vital need, considered as a « public service» : which management is very i m p o r t a n t

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a

b e t t e r

s h a r e .

 Romans(125 b.C): Dams (near Kasserine in Central Tunisia) and aqueducts from Z a g h o u a n

w a t e r

s o u r c e s

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C a r t h a g e .

 Ibn Chabbat (XIIth Century), was the precursor in water irrigation management by instituting his water division’s model in the oasis.

 Tunisia bioclimate, mostly arid-saharian ranges  Important differences in the rainfall spatial distribution: more than 600mm (North) to less than 100 (South)  Temporal variation of rainfall: 80% between October and March  Annual evapotranspiration: 200 (North) to 1800mm (South)  Surface water: 2.7 Billion m3 , unequally distributed: 80% in the North 11% in the Centre 9% in the South  Deep groundwater: 1.4 Billion m3  Shallow groundwater: 0.7 Billion m3

Water allocation in Tunisia  Tunisia is in the category of least endowed with water resources in the Mediterranean  For a population of 10 million inhabitants, the ratio per inhabitant per year is estimated at 470m3 (below poverty lines: 1000 m3/capita/year and water scarcity:500 m3/habitant / year).  This situation is expected to decline gradually to 350 m3 per capita in 2030 for a population of 12 million people  The volume of potable water produced by SONEDE in 2010 was 528 million m3, of which, 294 million m3 of surface water (56%), 214 million m3 of groundwater (40%) and 20 million m3 of desalinated water (4%).  The estimated need of increase is 3.5% per year

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Water Transfer secure distribution / energy cost BARBARA Dam

SIDI EL BARRAK Dam

BOUHEURTMA Dam SEJNENE Dam

SIDI SALEM Dam

Mejerdah Channel Cap-Bon

MEJERDAH river

AROUSSIA Dam

Ben Cheikh E; SECAEN Moueddeb J; SONEDE

Statement In Tunisia, the current water problematics concerns  Management of surface and ground water exploitation mainly in the South (oasis) as coastal zones represent 80 % of the population  Intentional or accidental contamination, deviation of rivers, mixing fresh and salt water  The use of the same water treatment technique by the National Office of Water treatment (ONAS) since a long period  No specific measures of awareness or protection are particularly considered neither for users nor for farmers  The biological treatment of water remains limited  Weak encouragement of clean technologies and low penalties for polluters  Lack of alternative solutions since desalination remains expensive

What happens with water surplus? (heavy rain or flooding)  Water scarcity and hydrological variability are encountered by several countries, while others (Europe) still have an abundant water supply.  In Tunisia, most of water surplus is lost in the sea or degraded due to bad governance and deficiency in the system of water transfer. Protection dams were used as storage containers!

(Water Governance?)

Why and How Water, the first resource of Human life on earth, could it be a threat for sustainable development?

When land is dying!

Water productivity: from kg/m2 to kg/m3

jeune afrique

Water productivity (WP): an important concept

Return WP = --------------------------------Unit of water consumed

What water ??  Quality (EC)  Location (GW depth)  Time available

What return ??  Biomass, grain, meat, milk (kg)  Income ($)  Environmental benefits (C)  Social benefits (employment)  Energy (Cal)  Nutrition (protein, carbohydrates, fat)

Consumed (depleted)  Evaporation  Transpiration  Quality deterioration Adriana Bruggeman and Theib Oweis ICARDA

Adriana Bruggeman and Theib Oweis; ICARDA

What should we use our scarce water resources for?

Low and high WPs

Dry Land Rehabilitation Saharian and Oasian Agrosystems Practical example

Introduction of a new culture in the sahara The region of Rjim Ma창toug

Natural heat therapy

Progressive adaptation

Regular analysis by several assays

Rehabilitation of desert areas

Drought studies Sakasly

Sub-humid climate

2.95

Razzegui

Saharan climate

2.71

Muscat Italy

2,16 2.06

Superior Seedless

1,6

Asli

1.42

Turky

Daily transpiration

Cardinal Syrah Kahli

1.14 1.11 0.59

Leaf ultrastructure: wax erosion in the Sahara

From monoculture to diversification

Necessity of innovative strategies Assuming that social governance must consider water as a property of collective responsability and a shared resource, we should: 1- Consider sustainable development by managing not only for present but also for future generations 2- Develop new technologies in order to optimize the use of water in agriculture and reuse of treated waste water 3- Promote an efficient control mechanism and services to track pollution 4- Improve water services equipments in order to limit water leak and over-consumption 5- Integrate crops which tolerate water quantity and quality deficiencies in consideration of their water productivities.

How do Technoparcs contribute to Water Innovations? as they represent platforms for development and Innovation

Tunisian scientists rejoice at freedom As revolution reshapes the country, researchers lay plans for a system that will foster free thinking and innovation.

2 7 Ja n ua ry 2 0 1 1 | VO L 4 6 9 | n aT u r E | 4 5 3

Geographical distribution of Technoparks Bizerte Industries agroalimentaires

Sidi-Thabet Biotechnologie et industrie pharmaceutique

Jendouba Secteur agricole – Grandes cultures

Gafsa Substances utiles en particulier

Médenine Valorisation des richesses du Sahara

El-Ghazala Technologies de la communication

Borj-Cédria Energies, eau, Biotechnologie

Sousse Mécanique, électronique et informatique

Monastir Textile et habillement

Sfax Informatique, multimédia et télécommunication

Functional Under construction Not yet installed

Why Technoparcs represent a technological platform for innovative water start-ups?

1- Industrials are settled and attracted by technoparcs to be assisted by scientists 2- PPP concept is facilitated 3- High technology facilities and equipment are available 4- Waste water treatment and selection of added value crops can be done at a confined and small scale.

5- Coordination between start-ups is promoted (clusters) 6- Accreditation and certification of control laboratories are facilitated

Barriers to start-ups development and market reach While technoparcs represent a platform for scientific and technological development, the relationship between industrials and scientists remains difficult regarding: 1- Heavy administrative procedures 2- Lack of interface between first-user industries and scientists 3- Scientific brokerage is almost nonexistent 4- Gap of scientific and technical monitoring 5- Difficult redeploying of human resources 6- Regulations do not favor entrepreneurship (financial aspects) 7- Participation to clusters and water related sectors networks is still timid 8- Access to information, opportunities and business support programs for technology transfer and lab certification is limited

Conclusion Ramiro Martínez. REMOB “Matter of Balance” What about governance and legislation?

Look for new H2O arrangements for better promotion of start-ups.

1- Reinforcing legal and regulatory frameworks 2- Sharing tasks in coordination with private sector

Policy?

3- Adopting a financial framework and cost recovery (for cleaning and anti-pollution technologies and support) 4- Coordinating with national and international concerned partners 5- Setting up a water Ecosystem

Legislation

Water Share/task

Transfer Control Survey

Monitoring

Partnerships

Joint Res Prog Workshop

PPP Start-ups PPP Users

Water Network Information Relays Inform Portal Focal point

Consortia Nat-Inter Networks Clusters Bunches

Thank you very much for your attention