Water and wastewater recycling in the Mediterranean area

Mediterranean countries are characterized by semi-arid climate, i.e. lack of natural water resources and scarce or uneven rainfall. Nevertheless, their economy is mainly based on irrigated agriculture. Moreover, in the pastdecades the developmentof local economies, poputatìon increase, and improper water management practiceshave resulted in severe exploitation and/or pollution of natural water resources' Climate change also contributed to reduce water availability. For all these reasons, water shortàge in Mediterranean countries has become a serious and pressing issue' ln particuìar, water stress greatly increases during the warmer season in the coastal areas,because of conflicting requirements due to tourism and agriculture' A recent reportof the EU Joint Reseàrch Centre showed that, during the period 1990-2010'in laige areas of Southern Europe the number of days per year with insufficient water for vegetation growth was higher than 90(JRC ,2012).