Marruecos y su lucha por el agua

Morocco has suffered the worst drought in decades. Water has always been a precious commodity in Africa in general, but in recent months this element has taken on an even greater dimension for the North African country due to the scarcity of water in the face of the lack of rainfall it has suffered. 

The Moroccan nation is trying to recover from its worst drought in decades, and the objective is to reinforce the country's water capacity. In this line, Nizar Baraka, Morocco's Minister of Equipment and Water, presented the water resources management model on the occasion of the United Nations (UN) Groundwater Summit in Paris, France. 

Nizar Baraka assured that his country is very aware of the preservation of water and that the objective is to have a strategy and planning aimed at facing future adverse circumstances, according to Morocco World News. The Moroccan Minister of Equipment and Water referred to projects already in place at the national level to strengthen water capacities, such as desalination plants, small dams and the reuse of treated water, in order to be more resilient to the effects of climate change. 

Nizar Baraka was speaking at a session held under the theme "Groundwater and the accelerating instrument for SDG6", within the framework of this UN Summit, and stressed that the Kingdom has committed itself very early on to the path of control of its water resources, through their mobilisation, their management based on dynamic planning and anticipation, as well as their protection and preservation, as reported by the Moroccan news agency MAP.

Morocco, he said, has also launched several measures to further strengthen sustainable groundwater management, including strengthening the responsibility of water basin agencies (ABH) in groundwater management and the generalisation of groundwater contracts.

The financing of all these initiatives is foreseen in the budgets of the Moroccan State, which is highly sensitive to current climate effects and in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Moroccan minister also highlighted the role of public-private partnerships and companies with regard to the rational and efficient use of water. 

The social and economic problems arising from water scarcity have been a constant concern during 2022 for the Moroccan authorities and they seek to tackle the problem that is increasingly aggravated by climate change and periods of drought that are increasingly detrimental to a country like Morocco, which is located in North Africa. 

Morocco has faced its worst drought in 30 years, which has seriously damaged its agricultural production, a very important sector for the Moroccan economy, and has meant cuts and restrictions for a population that has had to deal with an increased water shortage that has affected its daily life. 

It should be recalled that in August, Moroccan production of the main cereals fell by 67%, devastating news, since the Russian invasion of Ukraine has had a terrible effect on the grain and cereals market, because the Ukrainian country is one of the world's main exporters of these materials and its trade has suffered major disruptions due to the war affecting many countries, especially in Africa and the Middle East. 

A long-term solution for better water management is inevitable and the Moroccan government is working hard to find effective solutions to make the most of the country's water resources.