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Jordan's water scarcity prompted a national plan whereby treated wastewater is utilized to amend agricultural irrigation water so as to reallocate freshwater to urban/domestic uses. The policy, however, has engendered farmers' resistance in the Northern Jordan Valley (NJV), causing a stalemate in putting new infrastructure into operation. This research investigated the socio-economic causes of farmer resistance and contestation, and examined the government's institutional approach to overcome the challenges. We found that the perceived risks of wastewater reuse such as salinization and restrictions from international markets figure prominently in the farmers resistance. As yet, farmers have managed to avoid the shift to treated wastewater use by using the political agency of elite farmers who control the Water Users Associations. These same farmers have adopted informal water access practices to overcome freshwater shortages. At the same time, small producers who don't have possibilities to access extra water and with less political clout seem more willing to irrigate with treated wastewater. We conclude that understanding the heterogeneous context in which the envisioned wastewater users operate is key to predicting and solving conflicts that arise in treated wastewater reuse projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Macroplastics are the primary contributor to riverine plastic pollution by mass, posing a wide range of serious threats for riverine systems, from adversely affecting various life forms within the riverine system, to potentially increasing flood risk, and generally resulting in adverse effects on any livelihoods. Compared to other river-related research disciplines, research into riverine macroplastics and their effects has not yet featured prominently. Various quantification methods are presently used to assess the presence of macroplastics at different locations within river systems; however, overcoming limitations and unifying methods remain an essential need. Macroplastic dynamics in rivers are subject to various factors, including both material and river characteristics. We review the diverse factors that potentially influence macroplastic dynamics in rivers, and highlight our knowledge limits. We advocate for future research that enables synergies between improved field quantification techniques, use of global protocols and data sharing, and laboratory experiments. This is needed to obtain a riverine macroplastic budget model, required for the implementation of targeted management practices. Finally, a multilayer potential management strategy is presented: (i) reducing the macroplastic supply into rivers; (ii) removing effectively and safely macroplastics from within rivers; and (iii) treating macroplastics once removed from the riverine system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]