Dec 23, 2022
Assessing the stakeholders’ needs and AGREEMAR demo site requirements in Tunisia
Between 12-16 December 2022, the AGREEMAR project teams from adelphi, TU Dresden (INOWAS) and INAT conducted a mission to assess the stakeholders' needs and the specific requirements of the AGREEMAR demo site in Tunisia. The personal interactions focused on assessing the stakeholder’s roles, interests and demands related to the main project outcomes – feasibility maps, numerical groundwater models and MAR agreements. The questions inquired, for example, about existing MAR planning processes and related institutions, the conflicts and benefits they see in relation to MAR, and the viewed benefits of maps, models and agreements. The selection and weighting of the criteria for producing the feasibility maps were briefly introduced while informing on the next steps in this process. Finally, the role and engagement in the further project activities was agreed upon and next steps for cooperation chalked out.
The meetings were organized by INAT with the most important stakeholders for all three feasibility thematics. Namely these are the Water Research and Technologies Centre (CERTE) and the General Directorate for Water Resources (DGRE) - intrinsic site suitability mapping, the National Environmental Agency (ANPE), the Ministry of Environment (Directorate of Environment and Life Quality) and the Regional Department for Agricultural Development (CRDA) - water availability, as well as the Office of Planning and Hydraulic Balances (BPEH) at the Ministry of Agriculture, Hydraulic Resources and Fisheries, the Tunisian Union of Agriculture and Fisheries (UTAP) and the local farmers association of Chiba (GDA) - water demand. The stakeholders informed the project team on the Tunisian approach for water resource management in general and the specific role and experience with MAR for sustainably managing groundwater resources. Site assessment of the existing MAR site in Korba and potential MAR system at the Chiba dam showed up the potential for grounding the project results.
Read the full report here.