Morocco’s water resources are under increasing pressure from population and industrial growth, irrigated agriculture, urbanization, tourism, climate change, overexploitation of aquifers and deteriorating water quality.

The amount of water that is technically and economically exploitable is 80% of current available resources. This reveals the constraints on water resources and the challenges that lie ahead regarding the urgency of an integrated management approach.

Deteriorating water quality is one of the major problems facing Morocco’s water sector. Indeed, critical levels of pollution have been observed in several sections of watercourses, and several water streams have high concentrations of phosphorus, ammonia, organic matter and high coliform counts.

Khettaras (or qanats) are a succession of wells linked by underground canals that lead to field

The passing of Law 10-95 in 1995 was a major breakthrough in Moroccan water policy. The law’s main objective was to rationalize water use, provide universal access to the resource, reduce disparities between cities and villages and ensure water security across the country.

There are substantial water losses, mostly leakages, in the drinking water and irrigation transport and distribution networks. In the irrigation network, losses amounted to 4 BCM in 2010, according to the Ministry of Equipment, Transport, Logistics and Water. Drinking water losses were about 400 MCM (35%), with a performance rate of less than 70%. Some 415 MCM of wastewater

the Bounaim-Tafna basin, which is located in the north-east of Morocco and the north-west of Algeria and covers 2,650 km² (approximately 70% of which is in Morocco).