Morocco records an 84% decrease in precipitation compared to 2020
The problem of drought threatens farmers in the Maghreb countries
An ecologist displays a mound of mud that has been decomposed by salinity due to drought and turned into dust.
AFP
A farmer displays a sample of dry soil that has dried up due to lack of water.
AFP
Farmers gather to study the matter in front of the Moulouya River in Morocco, after its water decreased and increased salinity and was no longer sufficient for agriculture.
AFP
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Climate change in the Maghreb region has had serious repercussions. The number of dams that have run out of water and olive trees has increased, to a degree that threatens to deprive hundreds of farmers of their source of livelihood.
A shocking example of this is the Sidi Salem Dam, which supplies water to about three million Tunisians out of a population of 12 million. Exploding torrents.
Engineer Sharif Al Qasimi told AFP that after decades of "terrible climate change, we have reached a critical situation." He continues, "There has been no useful rain since 2018, and we are still using the dam's water" stored since that date.
It is disclosed that last August, while the country witnessed a heat wave in which the temperature reached record temperatures of 48 degrees, the dam lost 200,000 cubic meters per day due to the evaporation factor.
The filling of the dam, located in the northwest of the country, fell to 17% of its total capacity, which is a historical level, while dams in the entire country remained at the level of 31%.
The World Resources Institute ranks Morocco, Tunisia, Libya and Algeria among the 30 countries most exposed to water scarcity on the planet.
Tensions have occurred in recent years, the dry seasons, and their prolonged periods, which were more severe for many farmers, such as Ali Filali (54 years), who is exploiting 22 hectares near the Kairouan governorate in the center of the country, whose semi-humid climate allowed the production of vegetables and grain varieties on a large scale. vast areas.
“When I started farming with my father, the rains were present, and we were digging wells to find water,” says Filali. But 10 years ago, “the aquifer has descended to an additional three or four meters each year.”
Al-Filali speaks while referring to his extended agricultural land, planted with about 1,000 olive trees, confirming that he lost half of them within 10 years. Limited fruits directly mean more debts for farmers and fewer jobs for workers.
The unemployment rate in Tunisia due to the “Covid-19” pandemic has risen to 18%, which prompted many people to emigrate and leave the country, including farmers and livestock breeders in all regions of the country.
“Groundwater in North Africa is drying up due to lack of rain and excessive withdrawal” of water, said Iron Wolf, professor of geography at the American Institute in Oregon.
In his speech, Wolf refers to the example of the "artificial river" in Libya, which drains the "ground water" in the desert to transport it to the coastal cities.
The recent strong rains in Algeria enabled dams to be refilled to a level of 32.6%, but stocks remain weak despite this in the central region (9%) and the west (18%).
The August fires also revealed the water stress experienced by a country forced to use drinking water for irrigation and industry, due to insufficient retreatment of wastewater.
In Morocco, the Minister of Agriculture, Mohamed Seddiqi, said that his country has recorded an 84% decrease in rainfall since the beginning of this year, compared to 2020.
By the end of October, the country's dams were 36% full.
In Wolf's estimation, the repercussions of the drought extend beyond the agricultural field to become "a driver of political instability. Rural people migrate to cities where there is no aid, which provokes protests."
The Director-General of the Office of Planning and Financial Balances at the Tunisian Ministry of Agriculture, Hamadi Al-Habib, believes that in 2050 there will be "much less" water due to the lack of rain and the corresponding increase in the population.
He adds that he is convinced that the state will succeed in adapting to these conditions, by resorting to new varieties of crops.
On the other hand, Filali fears that such solutions will arrive too late. He says that he is considering leaving Kairouan “towards the capital or to any other area. If there is no rain, there will be no water, so why stay here?”
• The recent strong rains in Algeria enabled the dams to be refilled to a level of 32.6%, but despite that, stocks remain weak in the central region (9%) and the west (18%).
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