Constructed wetlands system in a Bedouin village in Westbank (Palestine)

Description: Separation, treatment with a constructed wetland, and reuse of greywater from a Bedouin village in Palestine. The treated greywater is reused for irrigation of olive trees and fodder. (IDIRIA, 2021).

Country: Palestine

City: Bedouin Village, Hebron district

City size: No Data

Population: No Data

start: 2011

Timeframe: 2 years

Phase: Completed

Nature-based solutions (NBS) : Yes

Initiator: NGO OXFAM Italy

Website source: http://www.iridra.eu/en/applicazioni-en/recupero-acque-grigie-en.html

Latitude: 31.37557

Longitude: 34.9051

Co-benefits

Increased provisioning of ecosystem goods (e.g. Food, water, etc)

Yes, through treated water for the irrigation of olive trees and fodder crops.

Improved water quality

Yes, through CWs systems implementation (IRIDRA, 2021).

Biodiversity conservation or increased biodiversity

The CW may provide a new wildlife habitat and exploit the ecological benefits of the CWs apart from their function as a treatment facility (Knight, 1997; Stefanakis, 2019). The main characteristics of the CW (i.e., presence of water and vegetation) make it suitable for the creation of a new ecological habitat, by attracting wildlife species, especially birds, and establishing a green area (Stefanakis, 2019).

Increased quality and quantity of green and blue infrastructures

Yes

Sustainable urbanisation

CWs entail significantly lower investment costs. Their main economic advantage comes from their operation phase due to the minimal energy requirements and the low needs for maintenance and personnel. As natural treatment technology, CWs can be characterized as sustainable systems, fulfilling sustainability criteria such as effective sanitation, contribution to public health and hygiene aspects, environmental protection and protection of natural resources. (Stefanakis, 2015). The project improved wastewater quality and helped to fulfil local needs for water, especially for irrigation. The treated wastewater is reused for olive-tree irrigation. The 'number of treated persons' equivalent is 4300 PE. (IRIDRA, 2021).

Improved aesthetic value

In contrast to conventional treatment systems, nature-based solutions of the wastewater treatment (such as CWs) may also provide indirect benefits such as aesthetic improvement of the landscape (Goulandris Natural History Museaum, 2021).

Provision of health benefits

Yes, NbS such as CWs play a significant role in treating and purifing of wastewater generated by the various and multiple human activities prior the final discharge, in order to reduce and eliminate the pollutant load, which is an absolutely necessary process not only to protect the natural environment and the habitat, but also to protect human health. (Stefanakis, 2015).

Original problems

Low provisioning of ecosystem goods (e.g. Water, food)

Yes

Low water quality

Yes, there was also an original need to deal with the problem of improving wastewater quality, because most of it is not treated and is discharged directly into the environment. (IRIDRA, 2021).

Drought and heat risk

Yes, the main factors contributing to the severe levels of drought in the eastern Mediterranean region, which includes Historical Palestine, are deforestation, lack of rain, and a higher degree of evaporation from soil (Cook et al., 2016). Recent extreme droughts (from 1998 to 2012) in the Levant region (of which the State of Palestine forms part) are conspicuous in being roughly 50% drier than the driest period occurring within the past 500 years, and 10%–20% drier than the most severe droughts of the past 912 years (1100–2012). (Cook et al., 2016; Yihdego, Hilmi, Hadi, 2018). The Cook et al. (2016) study revealed that the presentdrought in the Mediterranean region is not merely the most extensive but also the driest that has impacted the region within the last five hundred years, due to its having averaged 20%–30% drier than all the preceding drought spells since the year 1100. (Cook et al., 2016; Yihdego, Hilmi, Hadi, 2018).

Low aesthetic value

Yes

SDGs

Food security (SDG2) Zero Hunger

Yes

Good health and well-being (SDG3)

Yes

Clean water and sanitation (SDG6)

Yes

Industry, innovation and infrastructure (SDG9)

The constructed wetlands (CWs) systems with vertical subsurface flow (VF) represent an innovation in the national scene. (IRIDRA, 2021).

Sustainable cities and communities (SDG11)

In Palestine, exploiting water resource is at the top of the issues, since in many areas the available water is not sufficient to fullfill the local needs, especially when it comes to irrigation. At the same time, there needs to deal with the problem of improving wastewater quality, because most of it is not treated and is discharged directly in the environment. (IRIDRA, 2021).

Climate action, resilience, mitigation and adaptation (SDG13)

Yes, life-cycle analysis studies on CWs systems and comparison with alternative scenarios of using conventional treatment methods have also shown that the global warming potential of CWs is lower in terms of CO2 emissions (Stefanakis et al., 2014; Stefanakis, 2015).

Terrestrial biodiversity (SDG15)

Yes

Reference: Cook, B.I., Anchukaitis, K.J., Touchan, R., Meko, D.M., Cook. E.R. (2016). Spatiotemporal drought variability in the Mediterranean over the last 900 years. J. Geophys. Res. Atmos. 121 (5): 2060–2074. Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JD023929.

Goulandris Natural History Museaum (2021). WASTREAT Project. Information obtained: 2021-02-16. Available at: http://www.ekby.gr/wastreat/CON-WETLANDS_General.htm.

IRIDRA (2021). Nature-based solutions - Sustainable water management. Information obtained: 2021-02-16. Available at: http://www.iridra.eu/en/applicazioni-en/urbani-en.html.

Shutes, B.; Revitt, M.; Scholes, L. (2010). Constructed Wetlands for Flood Prevention and Water Reuse. In Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Wetland Systems for Water Pollution Control, Venice, Italy, 3–6 October 2010. Stefanakis, A. I., Akratos, C. S., & Tsihrintzis, V. A. (2014). Vertical Flow Constructed Wetlands: Eco-engineering Systems for Wastewater and Sludge Treatment (1st ed.). Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Elsevier Publishing. 378 pp. ISBN 978-0-12-404612-2. Retrieved from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283046086.