Morocco is facing an unprecedented drought that is seriously affecting its agriculture, ecosystem and economy. According to experts, this situation is partly due to climate change, which is manifested by a decrease in rainfall and an increase in temperatures, in addition to the critical state of the dams.
The situation of dams in Morocco is worrying. These structures have a water storage capacity of more than 18 billion cubic meters, making it one of the best equipped countries in Africa in terms of water storage. However, in recent years, the storage capacity of the dams has decreased due to sediment accumulation and lower water level due to drought.
According to official data, the filling rate of dams in Morocco is currently less than 50%, compared to 70% in the same period last year. The Marrakech-Safi dams, one of the regions most affected by the drought, have a storage capacity of 1.5 billion cubic meters, but are currently only 16% full.
The situation of the dams is all the more worrying as Morocco depends largely on surface water for irrigation and human consumption. Groundwater, which represents an alternative, is often of poor quality and is often overexploited, which may lead to a reduction in the quantity of water available in the long term.
In response to this situation, the Moroccan government has put in place several measures to mitigate the impact of drought, including subsidizing irrigation using groundwater and promoting the use of pest-resistant seeds. drought. However, according to environmentalists, these measures are not enough to solve the problem in the long term.
Moroccan ecologist, agronomist, Doctor of Geography and fervent defender of the environment, Mohamed Benata underlined the importance of taking advantage of this opportunity to clean the dams of the mud accumulated for years. According to him, this operation could be carried out more cheaply and more easily when the dams are dry.
” Even when the dams dried up, we did not know how to take advantage of them, as most developed countries do. The drought is bad, but it’s a golden opportunity to clear the dams of mud with bulldozers and trucks, which is a much cheaper and much easier process than clearing them when they’re full of mud. ‘water“, told Benata to MoroccoLatestNews Fr.
Thus, cleaning dams would increase their storage capacity and improve water quality. It could also help to mitigate the effects of long-term drought by increasing the amount of water available for irrigation and human consumption.
In conclusion, the current drought in Morocco constitutes a major challenge for the country. The Moroccan authorities must take immediate measures to mitigate its effects on agriculture and the economy in general. Cleaning up dams, as suggested by Benata, is an important measure that could have long-term positive effects on the country’s water management and food security.