The sustainability of groundwater is pushing Morocco to adopt the “aquifer management contract” method, which is the first in the Arab region and which reflects the opportunities offered by decentralization and the integration of local users in participatory decision-making processes. .
The new edition of the United Nations World Water Development Report 2022 deals, for the first time, with a specific framework of the general water cycle, namely groundwater. The theme of this year’s report concerns the resource itself under the slogan “Groundwater making visible the invisible”.
The report emphasizes the Moroccan water situation which has been characterized by growing water insecurity. As a result, the report adds, the government has mobilized through the adoption, in 2006, of a management method that awards aquifer contracts to all groundwater consumers in the region of an aquifer. given.
This participatory framework involves the conclusion of agreements between local stakeholders, including government organizations, public institutions, agricultural water user associations and research institutions, with the aim of determining the needs of each and ensure mutual benefits, in order to optimize groundwater management and availability.
In an interview granted to MoroccoLatestNews FR, Mohamed Saïd Karrouk, Professor of Climatology at Hassan II University, appreciates the Moroccan experience relating to “aquifer management contracts” which constitutes, according to the Professor, a particular experience compared to the countries in the MENA region suffering from problems related to the management of water resources.
“However, this mechanism comes up against some obstacles, particularly with regard to small farmers who do not benefit enough compared to other stakeholders, but that does not prevent highlighting this pioneering experience, perhaps it will improve over time,” he said.
This edition of the United Nations World Water Development Report 2022 raises the issue of groundwater, which is one of the major resources exploited by man, and particularly in places that suffer from the difficulties in the use of water because of its scarcity, he said.
Finally, the Professor indicates that “groundwater is considered as reservoirs similar to dams, but they are more efficient than dams, because they reduce the evaporation effect, adding that man has used this method before the appearance of dams.
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