Morocco has been hit hard by its worst drought in almost forty years, a disaster that has raised fears of a severe shortage of drinking water this year, a consequence of climate change and inefficient water management.
The drought is weighing on “the supply of drinking water in urban areas”, warned the Minister of Equipment and Water, Nizar Baraka, before the deputies.
Long subject to climatic variations, the country has suffered a severe rainfall deficit since September and an alarming drop in dam reserves of nearly 89% compared to the annual average, according to official statistics. This deficit is “a worrying indicator even if it has been reabsorbed by preventive measures, in order to avoid water shortages”, acknowledged Abdelaziz Zerouali, Director of Water Research and Planning, in a television interview. Two large cities, Marrakech (south), tourist capital, and Oujda (east), have avoided the worst by resorting since the end of December to groundwater to ensure their supply.
“Real climate change”
To contain the devastating effects of the drought, the government released in mid-February an aid program for the agricultural sector of nearly one billion euros. But in the long term, it is “necessary to change our vision on the question of water. Climate change is real and we must prepare to face it”, warned Abdelaziz Zerouali during a conference on “the right to water” in Rabat.
With only 600 m3 of water per inhabitant per year, Morocco is well below the water shortage threshold. By way of comparison, the availability of water was four times greater than 2,600 m3 in the 1960s. Beyond environmental factors, “the high demand for water” and “the overexploitation of groundwater” contribute to putting pressure on resources. water sources, emphasizes Minister Nizar Baraka.
The seawater desalination solution
In an article for the Moroccan Institute for Policy Analysis, researcher Amal Ennabih estimates that water scarcity is “deeply linked to how this resource is used for irrigation, consuming around 80% of the water from Morocco every year”. A situation that is all the more alarming since only 10% of agricultural land is irrigated, notes expert Abderrahim Hendouf, who pleads for a reduction in the excessive weight of the agricultural sector in the Moroccan economy.
The Cherifian kingdom relies mainly on the desalination of seawater to remedy the water deficit, a polluting process because of the brine produced. But the start of the program is facing “delays”. The Casablanca desalination plant is still under construction and the economic megalopolis is threatened with a water deficit from 2025.