Highlights

CMI to support Groundwater Resources Management in Morocco – Skhirat, March 26-27, 2014

Groundwater often serves as a last resort in contexts of water scarcity, and this common pool resource is heavily overexploited in Morocco and throughout the Mediterranean. Current ineffective centralized regulation calls for innovative and participatory solutions based on contracts between users and the regulatory authorities, known as ‘Aquifer Contracts’, as a sustainable management tool.

In this perspective, a national workshop was held in Rabat, Morocco, on March 26-27 2014, based on a case study committed by AFD in 2012 exploring the situation in the groundwater-depleted Souss Massa Water Basin.

The workshop took place within the framework of the Green Growth program of the Government of Morocco, as a meeting of the “Water Thematic Group” regularly gathering the Moroccan department of Water, international financial institutions and donors. It was designed in line with a concept developed by CMI and the CEFEB, the training center and corporate academy of the AFD, and labeled by the World Water Forum, combining training and knowledge-sharing activities with strategic discussions on countries’ policy agenda.

HEs the Minister for Water and the Minister of Agriculture of the Government of Morocco both introduced the workshop (photo), which was attended by over 60 participants including officials from the water and agriculture sectors, Water Basin Agencies, Regional Offices for Agricultural Development, researchers, consultants, water users and representatives from financial institutions and donor agencies.

The workshop was an opportunity to exchange knowledge on the economics of common pool resources and their implications for groundwater management; take stock of recent advances and good practice on Aquifer Contracts based on case studies from Morocco and the Mediterranean; and develop a common vision together with concrete recommendations on the optimal structure and contents of Aquifer Contracts, the enabling legal and institutional environment of such Contracts, as well as stakeholders involvement and the process of contracts negotiation and follow-up. 

These conclusions which are of interest for Morocco and the whole Mediterranean will be promoted as a regional, Mediterranean contribution for the 2015 World Water Forum in Korea. They will also facilitate the implementation of the ‘Green Growth’ World Bank-funded Development Policy Loan which includes a significant component on water management.

Attachments

General Documentation

Affiche
Allocution M. Hakhannouch 26 mars2014_v2
Couverture presse Atelier GDE Maroc 26 et 27 mars
Note de présentation atelier eaux souterraines 12-03-2014
Programme atelier eaux souterraines Skhirat
Synthèse atelier eaux souterraines - 35e GTE - mars 2014

Reports Souss Massa

AFD_Rapport_Principal_Final_VF
AFD_Synthese_Varab
AFD_Synthese_Vengl
AFD_Synthese_VFran

Presentations

ABH Oum Er Rbia CdN
ABH Sebou CdN Fes Meknes
ABH Tensift CdN Haouz Mejjate
Agro Concept Etude Souss Massa
BRLi_Presentation_Cas_Nappes
CMI Introduction gestion des nappes
CMI Présentation programme régional
DRPE CdN au Maroc 26-27-03-2014
DRPE GES au Maroc 26-3-2014
IWMI Contrats.nappes.Espagne
Minagri DIAEA PPP en irrigation

Group Work

Organisation travaux de groupe J1 26 mars
Organisation travaux de groupes J2 27 mars
Restitution travaux de groupes J1 26 mars
Restitution travaux de groupes J2 27 mars