countries: An innovative compact biological wastewater treatment system for promoting wastewater reclamation in Cyprus

The MEDAWARE project (which is funded by the Europe Aid program of EU) aims at addressing the significant issue of sustainable urban wastewater treatment and reuse in the agricultural production through the promotion of effective technologies and safe practices. The general objective of this project is to facilitate the change of the current situation in the Mediterranean countries in respect to wastewater treatment and reuse in the agricultural production and the enhancement of the professional capacity building in the wastewater treatment and reuse sector. The methodology implemented and the strategies followed in order to cope with the various issues involved in the field of urban wastewater treatment and reuse are presented and analysed in this paper. A lot of effort has been put to collect information on the best practices and success stories on combined treatment and reuse schemes, to compile guidelines on wastewater treatment and reuse, to safety issues etc. Among others, innovative systems serving remote areas, small communities and mountainous areas have been analysed. An example is provided in this paper of a system serving a mountainous village in Cyprus with 500 inhabitants. The whole system comprises an innovative compact biological wastewater treatment system. A detailed description of this plant is given.

Wastewater reuse in agriculture is common throughout the Middle East and North Africa. Wastewater re-use can be planned through spe- Table 6 Effluent quality of the treatment system between 2003 and 2004 [16] Date Parameter * Autumn 2003 Autumn 2003* Winter 2003* Winter 2004* Spring 2004* Steady state conditions** Value BOD5 (mg/l) COD (mg/l) SS (mg/l) E. coli/100ml BOD5 (mg/l) COD (mg/l) SS (mg/l) E. coli/100ml BOD5 (mg/l) COD (mg/l) SS (mg/l) E. coli/100ml BOD5 (mg/l) COD (mg/l) SS (mg/l) E. coli/100ml BOD5 (mg/l) COD (mg/l) SS (mg/l) E. coli/100ml BOD5 (mg/l) COD (mg/l) SS (mg/l) E. coli/100ml Eggs of intestinal worms/l — — — — — <10 — — *Results obtained before the actual stabilization of the performance of the plant ** Results received after the system reached steady state conditions cifically designed projects to treat, store, convey and distribute wastewater for irrigation. Examples of planned reuse can be found in Cyprus, Israel, Tunisia, etc. Reuse can also be unplanned, usually after discharge into open watercourses. This is the case, in part, in Jordan, where wastewater is treated to some extent, and in Morocco, where most of the wastewater is untreated, as well as in Algeria, West Bank and Gaza, Syria etc. In most countries of the region, wastewater treatment plants are not operated and maintained adequately, making wastewater unsuitable for unrestricted ir- rigation even where it has passed through a treatment plant. Wherever available, farmers prefer to rely on freshwater which is usually very cheap. But if no other source of water is available, farmers throughout the region eagerly use wastewater for irrigation. The MEDAWARE project seeks to change the situation due to unsustainable practices regarding wastewater treatment and reuse. The overall objectives of the MEDAWARE include the following issues: 1. Strengthening institutional capacities and training Strengthening of understanding, mutual trust and co-operation in the wastewater sector among the partners from many Mediterranean countries (Greece, Spain, Cyprus, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco and Turkey), and improving policies, planning and sustainable management methodologies concerning wastewater treatment and safe reuse, 2. Transfer of information and exchange of knowhow and technology among the partner, national administrations, international funding agencies, research/training, 3. Awareness raising of public (operators, farmers, and the general public), mobilisation of the population for the education on the problems in the wastewater management and reuse sector. Among other tasks, innovative treatment process serving small communities, mountainous villages etc were analyzed. An example of such a plant is installed in Askas, Cyprus serving Askas village which is in the mountainous area at 900– 9500 m height form the sea level. Positive impacts associated with the plant include the mitigation of public health hazards that were associated with the improper management of wastewater in the village, and the increased availability of water either for irrigation or for recharge. A negative impact of the operation of the plant is the maintenance cost of the UWTP that is shared among the permanent residents of the village which are mainly retirees with low income. But this example makes it clear that adequate treatment is feasible even in very small communities and the production of effluent with good quality is also achievable if the treatment plant is well designed and operated properly. As a conclusion, there is still a lot to be done in the field of wastewater treatment reuse. More effort is needed in a number of directions including among others the dissemination of existing knowledge in all the countries of the Middle East and North Africa region, the maximization of collection of wastewater, the upgrading of the existing wastewater collection systems, the establishment of proper standards for influent and effluent wastewater quality, the education of farmers on health safety issues and also the identification and the removal of priority pollutants, xenobiotics.