Assahafa.com
Minister of Equipment and Water, Nizar Baraka, outlined, Monday in Bali (Indonesia), Morocco’s water policy, at a high-level panel organized on the sidelines of the 10th World Water Forum, which runs here until May 25.
Baraka highlighted Morocco’s commitment, since the 1960s, to mobilizing its water resources, thanks to the far-sighted vision of the late HM Hassan II and His Majesty King Mohammed VI.
Since the 1980s, the Kingdom has also been committed to dynamic, anticipatory planning of water resources, he said at the event, dedicated to the official launch of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) 2030 National Water Roadmap Initiative.
“Moroccan water policy is currently taking shape through the National Program for Drinking Water Supply and Irrigation (2020-2027), elaborated to address the consequences of successive years of drought since 2017 and reduce the vulnerability of water supply systems to the risks of shortages”, he noted.
The Moroccan Minister stressed that the Kingdom’s national water policy is based on four axes. The first concerns the development of conventional water resources, notably through the accelerated construction of large dams, rainwater harvesting, major water transfers between basins and the de-silting of dams.
The second and third axes focus, he explained, on the development of non-conventional water resources and water demand management, while the fourth axis, which is cross-cutting in nature and accompanies the structuring projects, aims to raise public awareness of water scarcity and conservation.
The FAO 2030 National Water Roadmap Initiative aims to support countries in integrating water into their national policies and strategies in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
At the opening ceremony of this edition of the Forum, The 8th Hassan II Great World Water Prize was awarded to FAO in recognition of its commitment to the Global Water Agenda and food security.
The Hassan II Great World Water Prize is awarded every three years on the occasion of each edition of the Forum to reward the initiators of projects that have made a significant contribution to the development and use of water resources, at scientific, economic, technical, environmental, social, institutional, cultural or political levels.
Source: map
