Feasibility and application of managed aquifer recharge for a safe and sustainable water supply in Syria

The overall aim of the MEWAC-FEMAR project (Middle East Regional Water Research Cooperation Program – Feasibility of Managed Aquifer Recharge), funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), is to support and enhance a safe and sustainable water supply in the Middle East by Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR). One target region is Syria, which is facing water insecurity regarding water availability, water supply, and agricultural water needs. In addition, the region is severely affected by war which results in extreme destruction of infrastructure and other resources.

The project's objective is to provide a model-based framework for integrated water resources management (IWRM) to identify suitable sites for MAR and to predict their impact on the regional water balance and the local situation. The proposed framework incorporates different methods and model techniques with applications ranging from global to local scales. The model workflow is completely based on open-source tools to ensure sustainable use of the project efforts.

Modeling on the global scale is mainly done by data-driven methods like GIS Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (GIS-MCDA) to answer questions like where are suitable and feasible areas for MAR. Regional scale models aim to describe the hydrological cycle by distributed numerical methods (e.g., MODFLOW-OWHM) to predict and manage MAR under consideration of the regional groundwater situation. Local-scale numerical models can provide detailed and site-specific insights into the flow and transport processes of the unsaturated zone and the underlying aquifer. Specific activities in Syria include e.g., evaluation of wastewater reuse for irrigation. Finally, the current process understanding with regard to MAR methods is critically evaluated and expanded.