Morocco’s water situation continues to worsen. The scarcity of rainfall further accentuates the water stress plaguing the kingdom. New measures to optimize the drinking water pressure are taken by Lydec in order to manage the water shortage. Citizens are suffering hard, the agricultural sector too. A most worrying situation that calls into question all the agricultural policies put in place so far.
All the lights are now red. Climate change, coupled with a structural rainfall deficit and galloping consumption of water resources, is bringing the country into a water disaster. The World Bank is already sounding the alarm. “Morocco is in an area of high climatic vulnerability. “, she warns in her recently published report. The kingdom is thus considered to be one of the poorest countries in terms of water in the world. Supporting evidence, the hydraulic basins are now at their lowest level, especially those supplying the Casablanca-Settat region.
To deal with this situation and optimize the management of drinking water distribution in Casablanca, Lydec has implemented a detailed action plan. According to which, it will carry out operations to optimize the pressure at the level of the public drinking water network, supplying certain districts. This is what was announced in a notice distributed to customers. A measure that will be applied from December 1st.
It should be remembered, in this regard, that an 8% reduction in water pressure has already begun, since August 29, between midnight and 5 am.
Rural areas and southern provinces: The most impacted areas
The water situation is even more critical in rural areas and southern regions. The lack of precipitation induces an increasing drop in groundwater levels. Several douars and remote areas are hard hit by the drought. Abdel Majid Benasser, an associative activist from the city of Zagora, explains this critical deficit by blind management of the water supply, particularly in the south-eastern provinces of the Kingdom in recent years. Highlighting that the southeast of the region falls below the water poverty line. Besides the city of Zagoura, other provinces are also hit hard by the merciless drought.
To this end, 706 tank trucks have been mobilized to supply drinking water to nearly two million inhabitants spread over 75 prefectures and provinces.
Suffering rainfed agriculture
Rainfall is becoming increasingly rare. Something that has direct repercussions on the agricultural sector and has a strong impact on rainfed crops (Bour).
Considered a pillar of food security in rural areas, this crop is the most widespread in Morocco. However, it is extremely vulnerable to droughts and water scarcity, as climate change expert Mohammed Jalil points out.
“Rain-fed agriculture remains predominant with almost 80 to 85% of the useful agricultural area (UAA) against 15 to 20% of irrigated agriculture. “, he explained.
For its part, the World Bank notes that rain-fed agriculture employs the majority of agricultural workers. She cites as an example “the olive sector which represents the main fruit species cultivated in Morocco with 65% of the national arboreal area and provides more than 51 million working days per year, i.e. the equivalent of 380,000 permanent jobs. “. This is what is dealing a hard blow to residents and farmers and could plunge them into precariousness.
In this sense, the World Bank estimates that climate-induced changes in rain-fed agriculture could lead to the rural exodus of more than 5% of the Moroccan population by 2050.
A failing agricultural system
The water situation in Morocco leaves no one indifferent. Mobilized, the government has put in place a battery of measures and policies to deal with the water shortage. And the efforts continue to multiply.
However, any action will remain in vain and will never achieve its expected objectives as long as the agricultural policy adopted remains “failing”. This is also what emerges from the World Bank report which emphasizes the need to review agricultural policy from top to bottom.
Given climate change, the model adopted should adapt to the requirements of the current water situation and turn to crops that consume less water. In this respect, Mohamed Benata, agricultural engineer, doctor in geography and president of the Espace de solidarité et de coopération de l’Oriental (ESCO), denounces one of “failing policies”.
“Morocco has instituted public policies, especially in the agricultural field, aimed at the overexploitation of underground water resources to encourage the production and export of crops that consume too much water. “, he asserted.
The scenario of the last rainy season was catastrophic and if it were to happen again it would be very alarming for the country. Thus, public authorities will absolutely have to adopt development choices likely to preserve available water resources rather than betting on other strategies that will further deplete the few remaining resources.