INBO WEBINAR SERIES – INTEGRATING NON-CONVENTIONAL WATERS INTO THE WATER MIX : CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR IWRM AT BASIN LEVEL
The principles of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) have proven their effectiveness in strengthening the governance of river basins, participation of users, financing, water resource monitoring and knowledge dissemination. The members of the International Network of Basin Organisations (INBO) promote these principles, defining IWRM as a toolbox that can be adapted to each context in order to integrate natural and ecosystem contexts, types of uses, categories of users and the various resources that can be mobilized at the watershed level.
In the context of climate change, in order to cope with water stress, many INBO members are using other water resources besides direct withdrawal from available surface and groundwater bodies. These alternative resources may require special treatment, depending on the type of end users. Also known as unconventional water resources, this broad definition includes, for example, seawater through desalination or “reuse” technologies for treated wastewater.
In addition to nature-based solutions and demand management, IWRM, as a robust and flexible method, must consider how to effectively incorporate unconventional water resources “from source to sea” into its tools, objectively taking into account their benefits and challenges based on experience. With this in mind, INBO invites its members and the interested public to discuss the concept of the Water Mix, which brings together all available water resources (surface water, groundwater, green water, unconventional water) for the sustainable management of blue gold. This concept will be explored in a series of two webinars in 2026. Basin organizations and public bodies in charge of water resource management in their countries will present their vision and share their experiences.
19 MARCH 2026 – 13:00 – 14:45 CET – Strengths and weaknesses of desalination as part of the water mix for integrated water resources management
This webinar is organised by INBO. Partners include the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB) and the Artois-Picardie Water Agency, France (AEAP).
The speakers are from the Cape Verde National Water and Sanitation Agency (ANAS), the Mediterranean Network of Basin Organisations (REMOB) and the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA).
Integrated Water Resources Management, especially in coastal areas requires to consider the sea as a surface resource in its own right. From source to sea, this applies to the impact of land-based coastal activities on marine resources, including urban discharges and all contaminations. From sea to land, it also takes into account saline and brackish coastal waters for drinking water supply through desalination. Integrating sea water resources into the water mix allows us to examine their advantages for diversifying resources in arid regions, while also addressing the challenges they convey in terms of energy, economics, and the environment. IWRM is particularly relevant in addressing these challenges (new cross-sectoral issues, for example between the water and energy sectors, strengthening the link between freshwater and marine waters from an environmental perspective, strategic allocation of water resources, etc.). The speakers will present these issues from the perspective of public bodies responsible for water resource management that have implemented these solutions in recent decades, sharing their experiences.
Registration is free but compulsory.