Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Said Frix
Published on 2024-03-12 11:35:09
Under the theme “The current state of water resources in Morocco concerns all of us” and in collaboration with its partners, the Association of Life and Earth Sciences Teachers of Morocco, Beni Mellal section, organized a scientific seminar on Wednesday, March 6 at the headquarters of the Chamber of Agriculture in Beni Mellal, focusing on the responsible and integrated management of water scarcity in Morocco.
In recent years, as Malika Semmane, the general secretary of the AESVT, pointed out, Morocco has been affected by a drought that has had detrimental effects on the agricultural sector and water resources. The filling of dams is at its lowest due to the scarcity of precipitation and climate change. It is in this context that the Royal speech addressed to Parliament at the opening of the first session of the second legislative year of the eleventh legislature on October 14, 2022, emphasized the current state of water resources in Morocco and the measures to be taken to address it. “The current state of water resources concerns all of us, the government, institutions, and citizens. It requires us to truthfully and responsibly take action to address the weaknesses and deficiencies it reveals. In fact, Morocco is now facing a structural water stress situation, and the mere construction of hydraulic facilities, however essential and important it may be, is not sufficient to solve all the problems,” stated the Sovereign.
Regarding the objectives of this seminar, a member of the aforementioned association emphasized that the organization of this meeting aims to highlight the importance of “this scientific framework which aims to present an approach to the mechanisms related to the scarcity of water and to discuss strategies to be implemented for the rational management of existing water resources. It will be an opportunity for territorial institutional actors, organizations, and civil society associations concerned with water issues to present a range of measures, visions, and proposals to address water stress. In addition, we would like to emphasize the proactive and urgent measures that have been taken at the regional level for the rational management of water…”
The intervention of the representative of the Beni Mellal-Khénifra region focused on the current state of water resources at the national and regional levels and the need to take urgent and lifesaving measures to mitigate the adverse consequences of the structural water stress that has severely affected Morocco. The five interventions presented at this meeting focused on drinking water as a lever for sustainable development, between the current crisis and future challenges, raising awareness about irrigation water economy, water resources in Morocco, opportunities and challenges, the state of water resources in the Oum Errabia basin, and some issues related to the management of these water resources, water scarcity, and the participation of farmers in irrigation and water management. Participants in the water resources meeting included the regional government of the Beni Mellal-Khénifra region, the Chamber of Agriculture of the region, the National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE), the Oum Errabia Basin Agency, the regional office of the National Agricultural Advisory Office, the Sultan Moulay Slimane University of Beni Mellal, and students from some private schools.
During the discussions, the various and rich interventions touched on topics such as water stress, scientific research and innovation, responsible and rational management of water resources, the role of raising awareness about water economy, promoting scientific research in the protection of existing water resources, as well as climate change in Morocco.
Read the original article(French) on Aujourdhui.ma
