The Climate Justice Fund: Water Futures Programme aims to be a transformational step supporting the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development to evaluate rural water supplies in 8 districts in the Lower Shire Malawi (25% of Malawi). The project is led by the University of Strathclyde with their strategic partner Water For People, Malawi. This will include rural water supply functionality (including risks, economics, sanitation, and social interactions) using the ‘CJF’ approach to underpin implementation of SDG6 by 2030. The project includes the first wide-scale capacity building in groundwater science for staff at all levels in the Ministry, engagement with HEI’s in Malawi on groundwater resource management research, and importantly a pilot scale apprenticeship scheme to train area mechanics and water monitoring assistants in the skills required to transform from reactive (act with a water point becomes non-functional) to proactive (preventative maintenance of rural water supplies). The outcomes of the work will be an integrated water resource management plan to underpin water availability in these districts for Everyone for Ever. Groundwater is more than 98% of available freshwater in the MENA region. There is a need to improve and resolve cross-border water issues, including groundwater shared by Israel and Gaza. Management requires coordinated groundwater utilization, development, and reclamation of contamination. Conjunctive Water Resource Management requires an agreed data set that is used as a basis for decision making. The Palestinian Water Authority
in Gaza through the NGO Palestinian Hydrology Group (PHG) will collaborate with the UK (Strathclyde University) and Israel (Ben Gurion University), to study deterioration of groundwater associated with sewage water, fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides, and sea water intrusion. The project will develop models, validated by isotope hydrology and hydrogeochemistry, to determine sustainable groundwater resource management options and
explore the most feasible way to treat municipal effluents, seawater intrusion, and reclaim contaminated groundwater in Gaza.