The “national report on monitoring the quality of bathing water on beaches in the Kingdom” for 2021 was presented to the press. It shows that the rate of compliance of the bathing water of Moroccan beaches with microbiological quality standards reached 87.06%.
According to the Department of the Environment, author of the report, this year was also marked by the increase in the “Excellent” quality category, which reflects the efforts made in particular in terms of liquid sanitation and health infrastructure by the actors. , beach operators and managers for improving the quality of bathing water.
Out of the 461 sampling stations, 425 were the subject of a sufficient number of samples for classification, indicates the document, noting that 370 stations were declared of microbiological quality in accordance with the requirements of standard NM.03.7.199 .
This standard, which aims to establish a proactive management of the quality of bathing water, is based on a classification of water based on the statistical treatment of the results of the last four years and according to 4 quality categories: “Excellent”, ” Good ”,“ Sufficient ”and“ Insufficient ”.
These profiles consist, on the one hand, in identifying the sources of pollution likely to have an impact on the quality of bathing water and affecting the health of bathers and, on the other hand, in proposing action plans and management tools as decision-making support tools, the environment department said.
And to add that 12.94% of the resorts are non-compliant, i.e. 55 resorts spread over 29 beaches, the majority of which are located at the level of the regions: Tanger-Tétouan-Al Hoceima, Casablanca-Settat and Rabat-Salé-Kénitra, noting that the main causes of degradation are generally due to the influence of wastewater discharges and contributions from wadis and rivers, combined with the inadequate hygiene infrastructure at the beaches.
Convinced that the quality of bathing water is an important asset for the development of seaside tourism, the supervisory department has been implementing the bathing water quality monitoring program for years.
This program was reinforced after the adoption of Law 81-12 on the coastline, in particular Article 35 which requires regular monitoring and classification of beaches according to the quality of bathing water.
The number of beaches monitored under this program has increased from 18 beaches in 1993 to 79 in 2002 and 175 beaches in 2020. Monitoring campaigns are carried out annually during the summer season from May to September with a rhythm bimonthly.
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