As the implementation phase of the pilot project in Jericho (Palestine) has commenced, tenders for the purchase of instruments and supplies needed for water analysis have been concluded.  

The equipment is now available for testing the blended water quality and to fix the most suitable blending ratio, this in collaboration with the Directorate of Agriculture of the Governorate of Jericho & Al Aghwar. 

The water blending test results will provide the necessary information for a correct approach for managing water and agricultural resources during the MEDISS implementation phase and beyond. In Palestine, the objective is to help Palestinian farmers to have better quality and quantity of water for irrigation.
Results are going to be disseminated to all farmers in Jordan Valley,  to help them to determine the optimal ratio of blended water to be used in the irrigation of their agricultural crops.

About MEDISS project

The “Mediterranean Integrated System for Water Supply” MEDISS project addresses the issue of improving the quality of saline groundwater present in the MED area opening up alternative irrigation for higher quality and more diversified cultivations. According to the features and specific needs of the partner areas, MEDISS will test innovative solutions in the use of treated wastewater and desalination of brackish water, including:

• blending of treated wastewaters with fresh wadi water and brackish groundwater (Palestine);
• reverse osmosis (RO) desalination with innovative long lasting membrane and photovoltaic energy (Jordan);
• prototype ammonia stripping plant for fertilization (Italy);
• tertiary treatment with an innovative filter bed (Tunisia).

MEDISS in Palestine

The MEDISS pilot project in Palestine, managed by the lead beneficiary Palestinian Wastewater Engineers Group (PWEG) and the Palestinian partner, Governorate of Jericho & Al Aghwar, is commissioned to collect surface water in Wadi Quilt, store it in a ground pool, blend it with saline underground water and treated wastewater from Jericho City Wastewater Treatment Plant, and then use it to irrigate 400 ha of palm farms, benefiting 55 Palestinian farmers of the Palm Farmers’ Cooperative Association.