Case Studies
AI4WATER focuses on the use of AI optimization and prediction techniques for the water management of 4 key agricultural districts with the Mediterranean Basin. Across these sites, escalating demand, irregular rainfall, and groundwater over-extraction have lowered water tables, raised salinity, and increased pollution—especially in coastal zones. Our AI-enabled DSS turns heterogeneous data into safe, efficient, climate-robust water allocation and blending strategies.
The Case Studies:
(1) The Coastal Ras Jebel Basin (RJC) in Tunisia,
(2) The Coastal Constantinois Basin and Seybouse basin (CCB&SB) in North-East of Algeria,
(3) The Capitanata Coastal Irrigation District (CID) in Apulia region (southern Italy), and
(4) The Coastal Nile Delta Basin (NDB) in Egypt
The Coastal Ras Jebel Basin (RJC) in Tunisia
Site type: Water-smart management pilot
System focus: Groundwater–surface water blending for irrigation & domestic use under drought and salinity stress
What we test: AI-assisted optimization (Genetic Algorithms, Reinforcement Learning, AI planning) to schedule pumping, blending, and demand allocation while limiting seawater intrusion (SWI) and nitrate/salinity exceedances
Key outputs: Dynamic control policies, water-quality and demand forecasts, groundwater-potential and reservoir-level maps, DSS dashboards
Stakeholders: Basin agencies, local utilities, farmer groups, municipalities
The Coastal Constantinois Basin and Seybouse basin (CCB&SB) in North-East of Algeria
Site type: Experimental & decision-support pilot
System focus: Aquifer stress reduction and safe yield under irregular precipitation and growing urban–agri demands
What we test: AI optimization for well operations and allocation, ML prediction of water quality and SWI risk, integration with hydrologic models and multi-source datasets
Key outputs: Risk-aware pumping rules, pollution-hotspot early warnings, demand/quality nowcasts, policy briefs for drought operations
Stakeholders: Water directorates, agricultural offices, local communities
The Capitanata Coastal Irrigation District (CID) in Apulia region (southern Italy)
Site type: Water-smart farming system site
System focus: Reliable seasonal supply for agriculture via conjunctive use (surface + groundwater) and quality-constrained blending
What we test: RL-based irrigation scheduling under climate scenarios, sub-district allocation rules, salinity-aware routing, and reservoir level forecasting
Key outputs: Farm-to-district scheduling recommendations, salinity/quality compliance plans, DSS for drought rotations
Stakeholders: Irrigation consortia, regional water authorities, farmer associations
The Coastal Nile Delta Basin (NDB) in Egypt
Site type: Water-smart management pilot
System focus: Meeting domestic and irrigation demands while mitigating SWI and pollution in coastal reaches
What we test: GA/RL optimization of pumping/blending and canal operations; ML forecasts for drinking/irrigation water quality, salinity fronts, and demand peaks
Key outputs: Operable control policies, risk maps for SWI and pollution, reservoir and demand forecasts, actionable DSS views
Stakeholders: Water utilities, irrigation districts, local councils, farmer cooperatives