Indice degli argomenti

  • Introduzione

    Minimizza tutto Espandi tutto

  • Ar-Ramtha

    Jordan is suffering from a chronic water scarcity caused by rapid population growth, frequent droughts and hydro political tensions in the Middle East. The per capita share from renewable water resources is less than 100 (m3/capita/year), which makes Jordan the second water-poorest country in the world (MWI, 2018). 

    MENAWARA action focuses on Ar-Ramtha area, situated in the far northwest of Jordan and, in particular, at National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC)’s Station for treated wastewater research. NARC started its mandate in 2000 to conduct research related to the quality, use, enhancement and environmental impact of treated wastewater in irrigated agriculture, accounting for the social and economic dimensions, in addition to providing awareness and extension services.

    Water coming out from Ar-Ramtha’s WWTP has satisfied the Jordanian Standards (JS 893/2006) and it is fully used for direct irrigation: the agricultural land irrigated with the treated wastewater is about 75 ha located around the treatment plant cultivated with fodder crops such as alfalfa (70%), barley rye grass in winter and maize in summer (30%).

    The most dominant irrigation system when using TWW in Ar-Ramtha is surface irrigation (more than 90%) while drip irrigation is used for the remaining 10%. These two techniques are the only ones allowed in Jordan for TWW. Surface irrigation efficiency is less than 60% due to bad distribution while drip irrigation efficiency is less than 70% due to clogging of emitters. Farmers are looking to use sprinkler or subsurface irrigation to facilitate land and crop management and increase efficiency so that they may expand the cultivated area. 

    👉The aim of the project is to improve  the performance of the Ar-Ramtha's WWTP and the wastewater treatment processes while testing, in a real living lab,  the efficiency of different farm irrigation systems, mainly innovative sprinklers and subsurface drip irrigation on crops and soils while enhancing farmers’ skills, facilitating irrigation system adaptation and endorsing the change of the national regulation, which allows only surface and drip irrigation.


  • MENAWARA post treatments in the Waste Water Treatment Plant

    In line with the "FIT for Purpose" Approach, the post-treatment line has been designed and realized for the reclamation of the secondary treated wastewater from the WWTP Ramtha and accumulated in an existing storage pool. 

    The line is composed of a filtration treatment through pressure sand and disc filters, followed by a subsequent disinfection stage by means of the action of ultraviolet radiation and maintenance chlorination (chlorination labyrinth). One piping chamber has been installed at the outlet of the existing storage tank to laminate possible variations in the effluent flow of the WWTP and, on the other, to allows water with a more constant quality to be introduced into the reclamation treatment train. A pressure group has also been installed to achieve the pressures required by the filtering systems.



  • Improvement of water use efficiency in agriculture

    In the framework of the MENAWARA project, four irrigation methods (surface, drip, sub-surface and sprinkler) have been investigated on alfalfa quantity and quality using treated wastewater under semi-arid conditions. The complete randomized plot design considered sprinkler, surface, drip, and subsurface irrigation methods on 5×5m plots, replicated four times in a random distribution. 

    The source of irrigation water was the domestic treated wastewater effluent from Ramtha Secondary Wastewater Treatment Plant connected to the experimental site via the main polyethylene irrigation line (75mm) and filtered through sand and disc filters after reaching the experimental site and before being used.

    Sub-surface drip irrigation system proved to be the best agricultural practice for the safe and efficent  use of non-conventional water. 

    Neither E. coli nor FC was detected on the alfalfa leaves when using subsurface irrigation. However, high E. coli and FC counts were present on the leaves irrigated by sprinkler and also in the lower part of the plants when surface irrigation was used. This indicates a high risk of pathogen presence in sprinkler and surface irrigation methods with this quality of water.

    Following the results, 9 farms have been equipped with subsurface drip irrigation systems.