Mohamed VI urges the Moroccan government to seek water security
As is the case in other countries whose geographical situation is similar to that of the Kingdom, water stress is a problem whose response must be immediate, forceful and precise. Although not all countries have the same tools to combat this problem, the North African country has years of experience in promoting and developing desalination plants, building dams and modern irrigation systems that, to date, are managing to sustain the national agricultural fabric.
According to a recent report by the Royal Institute for Strategic Studies, climate change is now a real threat, and all political and socio-economic actors must develop strategies and adaptation plans to deal with it because it is the result of high greenhouse gas emissions and global warming, a complex problem that requires an international response.
Therefore, the Government's objective is to mitigate the impact of agricultural activity and protect water resources. Within the framework of the new measures, the Alawi monarch highlighted the role played by Nizar Baraka, Minister of Equipment and Water, in relation to his strategic plans to connect the dams. The national drinking water and irrigation water supply programme 2020-2027.
King Mohammed VI was briefed by the Minister of Equipment and Water Resources, Nizar Baraka, on the state of water resources and the progress of the implementation of the various components of the plan, which included accelerating the connection of Sebou, Bouregreg and Oum Er-Rbia, by arranging for new dams, resuming the cost of about 20 dams expected to be completed in that period and lightening the Raw Water Mobilisation Project by developing existing desalination plants and innovating new plants to increase the reuse of treated wastewater, improving drinking water supply in rural areas of the world, extending coverage to more villages and towns, and strengthening the logistical and human resources mobilised.
To this end, the role of agricultural and livestock workers will be a key asset in safeguarding the supply of safe drinking water for inhabitants and ensuring better water availability. As a member of the Association of Ecological Lighthouses for Development and Climate, environmental expert Hamid Rachel told The Arab Weekly that Morocco is working to rationalise and manage water consumption as a vital resource through these initiatives of the highest state institutions. He emphasised the adoption of a governance system based on the water basin unit to manage the water resource and correct significant spatial disparities.
Baraka recalled that King Mohammed VI insisted on the need to work to speed up the link between the dams, especially between the Sebou, Bouregreg and Oum Er-Rbia river basins, recalling that the works started between the Sebou and Bouregreg basins and will be extended to the Oum Er-Rbia reservoir to reach the Massira dam. According to the Moroccan minister, "the aim is to prevent the loss of 500 to 800 million cubic metres of water that is discharged into the sea without benefiting from it" and to work to invest it in rural areas, most of which need drinking water, as well as in irrigated agricultural areas.
The Moroccan monarch urged the sectors and organisations involved to increase vigilance and be effective in this crucial area during the meeting, which was attended by several ministers and Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch. This led everyone to consider developing an agricultural strategy based on reducing water consumption, or to commit to a circular economy through the reuse of wastewater or the desalination of seawater, as economist Rachid Sari explained that a significant part of Morocco's agricultural exports are considered to be water exports.
In view of the threat to Morocco's water security, the Social, Economic and Environmental Council insisted on the need to carry out an exhaustive review of the tariffs in force at national and local level for the provision of water, sanitation and wastewater treatment services, with the aim of informing the public of the results of this process. In addition, the importance of a national reference framework for the private accounting system, by water resource, was highlighted, which would allow for the evaluation of the amount of the price of each water structure.