Rabat — Morocco and Chile shared their experience in water management, with a particular focus on best practices for coping with water stress, at a thematic session on climate change and international mobility held in Rabat on Tuesday.
Speaking at the Congress of the Future, the Minister of Equipment and Water, Nizar Baraka, dwelt on the Kingdom's efforts against water stress, stating that, in line with the Royal High Guidelines, Morocco has implemented an ambitious, comprehensive and integrated strategy, notably through the National Drinking Water Supply and Irrigation Programme to 2027, with a budget of MAD 143 billion.
Baraka highlighted the change in approach, from rural-urban solidarity for water supply, to urban-urban solidarity for rural and mountainous areas, with a view to promoting spatial justice in sharing water resources.
He also referred to the implementation of desalination projects for irrigation, noting that conventional water from dams and rainwater harvesting facilities will meet the needs of inland regions, thus helping to reduce the rural exodus.
After highlighting the solidarity between water basins through water transfer projects, Baraka stated that the water projects carried out and planned will strengthen Morocco's water sovereignty, aiming to reach 170 large dams and more than 250 medium and small dams by 2030.
For her part, Chile's Minister of Public Works, Jessica López, said that her country had accumulated considerable experience in seawater desalination, pointing out that for over 30 years, particularly in northern Chile, desalination has been used to supply drinking water to the local population.
With regard to infrastructure, she added that Chile has a large number of dams, stressing the need to build a network of small dams that would enable water to be distributed and used more efficiently throughout the country.
She also emphasized the need to reinforce wastewater treatment plants, stressing the importance of improving water management planning, as well as drafting legislation to regulate water resources.
