Chair: Joanna Doummar (American University of Beirut, IAH Vice President MENA)
Co-chairs: Fairouz Slama (National Engineering School of Tunis, IAH Tunisian Chapter ), Faten Jarraya-Horriche (Centre for Water Research and Technologies, IAH Tunisian Chapter President)
Assessing groundwater recharge in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) regions is critical in the face of escalating drought hazards induced by climate change and exacerbated by groundwater over-abstractions. This challenge is further compounded by significant data gaps, mainly spatiotemporal information, emphasizing the urgency for comprehensive studies to bridge knowledge disparities and formulate resilient strategies for sustainable groundwater management, and to guide managed aquifer recharge (MAR) activities. The session will focus on groundwater recharge assessment in the MENA region. This session promises to feature a collection of valuable papers that delve into the latest methods and advancements in understanding, measuring, assessing and managing groundwater recharge. Attendees can anticipate perusing papers on various topics, including cutting-edge techniques for observations, data analysis, modeling approaches, and the integration of remote sensing methods and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to enhance precision in groundwater recharge assessments at regional or local scales. The session will also address the crucial aspect of climate change, exploring projections and impacts on groundwater recharge. Papers dedicated to rainwater harvesting and managed aquifer recharge solutions, emphasizing their role as adaptive strategies to drought and groundwater overexploitation, and to address the challenges posed by climate change and increasing demand are also encouraged.