Wastewater reuse in the Mediterranean region: Case of Morocco

Abdelaziz Hirich (1) , Redouane Choukr-Allah (1)

1 Department of Horticulture

The southern Mediterranean region being one of the most dry and water scarce regions in the world. It is also expected that by 2025, due to population increase, the regional average water availability is projected to be just less than 500 cubic meters per person per year. Many countries in the region are mining groundwater, a temporary and risky expedient. The extended reuse of reclaimed (treated) wastewater could contribute considerably to the reduction of 'water stress' and 'water scarcity' in the Mediterranean countries as part of an Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) approach, focusing on the component wastewater reuse for irrigation and other purposes. The present article deals with the experiences carried out in Morocco in this domain. In spite of the progress that has been achieved in the last decade on technical, institutional, financial and legislative levels as regards the development of the process "sewage network-treatment-re-use", obstacles still hinder the deployment of the re-use of treated wastewater. In the current state of affairs, no project integrating the three components has been realized. This paradoxical situation is due to several constraints.

Mots clés: Treated wastewater; Morocco; Irrigation; Environment; Benefit

Domaines: Environnement et Société

Abdelaziz Hirich, Redouane Choukr-Allah. Wastewater reuse in the Mediterranean region: Case of Morocco. 13th edition of the World Wide Workshop for Young Environmental Scientists (WWW-YES-2013) - Urban waters: resource or risks?, Jun 2013, Arcueil, France. ⟨hal-00843370⟩