Centre UNESCO de l'Eau ICIREWARD - Université Montpellier

Project leaders: V. Borrell and A. Ogilvie (G-EAU), J.E. Paturel (HSM)

Contact: valerie.borrell@umontpellier.fr; jean-emmanuel.paturel@ird.fr; andrew.ogilvie@ird.fr;

Partners: Montpellier team (G-EAU, HSM, ESPACE-DEV, LISAH); UNESCO FRIEND-AOC network; UNESCO Chair "Water, Women and Decision-making" (Abidjan, Ivory Coast)

Description: This project aims to characterise and quantify the evolution of hydroclimatic regimes and their extremes on several spatial and temporal scales in West Africa (WA) in order to update hydrological standards.

Objectives:

To create a reference database (DB) at the scale of the sub-region compiled from unique data by their spatial and temporal depth (SIEREM, BVRE Orstom/IRD...). Consolidate this database with public (GRDC, CRU, etc.), spatial (CHIRPS, etc.) and low-cost (and eventually participatory) data.
Produce indicators on trends and evolutions of floods and low flows at several scales in several reference basins in WA.
To develop modelling approaches adapted to the simulation of global changes in water regimes, including in a poorly gauged context.
To enable an update of the sizing standards for hydraulic/hydroagricultural/hydroelectric structures.

Long-term scientific challenge: This project aims to support the ambition of having an open database according to international and multi-user sharing standards, to quantify the relevance of seasonal trends and forecasts by region and to have hydrological model platforms adapted to the WA in order to propose regionalizations/transpositions of parameters to contexts with little or no gauging. This knowledge will contribute to understanding and predicting the influence of global changes on the evolution of the basins and support the operational staff in optimising the sizing and management of structures or even in feeding early warning systems.

Project leaders: J. Harmand (INRAE), M. Héran (UM), N. Abdellatif (ENIT-LAMSIN), Z. Mghazli (Univ. Ibn Tofaïl, Kénitra), B. Benyahia (Univ. Tlemcen)

Contact: jerome.harmand@inrae.fr

Partners: Montpellier teams (LBE, ITAP, GEAU, IEM, HSM); Moroccan team (Lab. de mathématiques, Univ. Ibn Tofaïl); Algerian teams (Lab. d'automatique & dpt. De mathématiques, Univ. Tlemcen); TREASURE Euro-Mediterranean scientific research network led by INRAE

Description: The ANUMAB project aims at developing and strengthening collaborations on the North/South/South axes (Montpellier-Tunis-Tlemcen-Kenitra) around issues related to the reuse of treated wastewater (REUSE). The idea is to consider the whole REUSE chain, to model it and to apply to the models obtained the tools of automation to optimise agricultural production under sanitary and environmental constraints.

Objectives:

To relaunch the UNESCO Chair "Mathematics and Development in the Maghreb", on methodological aspects. Led by N. Abdellatif (ENIT-LAMSIN), in collaboration with the Euro-Mediterranean research network TREASURE and the actors of Montpellier;
Create, within the UNESCO SIMEV Chair in Montpellier, led by the IEM, a "REUSE" axis, led by J. Harmand (LBE,). In the longer term, and if all the conditions are met, the creation of a specific REUSE North-South UNESCO Chair could be envisaged;
To federate the current bilateral North-South activities and share knowledge and know-how. Strengthen the international visibility of the training courses, projects and actions underway between the French, Algerian, Tunisian and Moroccan partners and unify them within one, or even two, chairs and, ultimately, under the banner of the UNESCO ICIREWARD Centre in Montpellier. For the "Training" component, the people in charge of the Montpellier water master's degree will be contacted;
Promote the setting up of training courses and joint projects and encourage the co-supervision of students in this multiparty framework (co-supervision of 4 masters - M1-M4 in the text - financed in the framework of this project).

Long-term scientific challenge: The objective is to recover a large deposit of water instead of discharging it into the environment. Although no health risk has been proven in all the feedback available over the last 40 years in agricultural REUSE, possible gene translocations in plants and soil degradation in certain irrigated plots (e.g. in Turkey, Jordan and Israel) have been observed over the long term after 30 years of irrigation with non-conventional water deposits. In the longer term, using the structures that have been created, it will therefore be necessary to develop evaluation projects and actions that will enable decision-makers to be advised, and perhaps even to change the regulations to promote REUSE wherever it can be developed to meet the water challenges of tomorrow.

Recherche