Abhatoo - Centre Nationale de Documentation

Water resources in Morocco are recognized to be upon the most important water resources suffering from scarcity due to arid and semi-arid conditions, aggravated by global climatic changes occurring worldwide. More than 9.5 million people are living in the coastal cities of Morocco and this number is steadily growing. Indeed, in 2015 more than 50% of total population is living in the coastal zone, with an increasing proportion of rural population due to poverty and rural exodus. This situation makes more pressure on many coastal aquifers leading to salinization in the coastal fringe in some catchments in Morocco. These aquifers are located in North-West part of Morocco and are very well known for their role in industrial, economic and social development. Furthermore, in arid areas in the south of the country, groundwater is the only resource that supplies the rural population and the oasis with water for domestic consumption and irrigation. The average of rain decline is due to the impacts of climate change (CC) and causes the recurrent droughts and decreases in recharge, which directly affect the groundwater level. This is coupled with heavy abstraction rates that are used for industrial and drinking water supply for rural and urban areas and irrigation. This situation has led to a major decline in the groundwater levels and may eventually cause a deficit water balance of the aquifer as well as a degradation of the freshwater quality by seawater intrusion on the coastal plains. Hence, effective management of groundwater resources in these aquifer systems is necessary and taking into account the CC.
It can be made by developing a regional groundwater flow model that allows us to understand the conditions that govern the behavior of freshwater/saltwater transition zone in the coastal aquifer subject to the various input conditions and to test management scenarios based on various economic assumptions. These tools help the regional water resources authorities for planning economic and water resources development.