Sassari, from the wastewater a system to defeat drought

A project coordinated by the Anti-Desertification Unit of the University of Sassari

SASSARI. Defeat the drought by reusing the waste water to irrigate the cultivated fields and to clean up the aquifers: it will soon be a reality thanks to the international Menawara project, funded by the European Union with the Eni CbcMed program and coordinated by the University of Desertification Research Unit Sassari. The project, presented in Sassari by the director of the NDD, Pier Paolo Roggero, and by the communication manager, Tonito Solinas, aims to contribute to the increase in water availability for agriculture through the use of unconventional waters, for reduce the pressure on freshwater reserves, and will be implemented in Sardinia, in Arborea, then in Palestine, Jordan, Tunisia and Spain.

The program sees as partner of the University of Sassari, leader, five realities in the field of international agronomic research: the Ciheam, with the branch of the Agronomic Institute of Bari, the Weworld-Gvc of Palestine, the National agricultural research center of Jordan, the National Office of the Assainissement of Tunisia and the Fundacion Centro de las Nuevas Tecnologias of the Agua Centa in Spain. They will meet in Tunis from November 27th to 29th for the project start-up meeting, from 90 million euros financed 90% by the EU.

6 pilot plants will be built for water treatment and the results obtained will be shared and transferred to the local communities for a technical and political planning that will have direct repercussions on an audience of about 4,200 potential users, which thanks to these plants will be able to access resources higher and higher quality water. In Sardinia the pilot plant will be built in Arborea, in a "nitrate vulnerable zone", where the aquifers are polluted. Here a forest infiltration area will be created with drainage water taken from the Reclamation Consortium which, after having been filtered by a natural system, will be used to refill the aquifers. The project will end in the summer 2022.