Baraka: “Awareness-raising actions, key factors for saving water”
Hibapress
Awareness-raising actions constitute key factors for the water economy, said Friday in Rabat, the Minister of Equipment and Water, Nizar Baraka.
Speaking at the opening of a seminar organized under the theme “Drought management in a context of climate change: challenges and solutions”, Mr. Baraka highlighted the vital importance of this precious resource as well as the commitment collective for its preservation and development with a view to meeting the growing water needs in Morocco, in a context of drought, especially during the last six years.
This situation of water stress sounds the alarm by accentuating the phenomenon of water scarcity and calls on all citizens, each by their position and their daily relationship with water, to work for its preservation and ensure its use with responsibility, he warned, warning against a possible worsening of the situation “in the future due to the negative effects and impacts of climate change on water resources”.
According to Mr. Baraka, drought has become structural in Morocco, increasingly requiring good coordination between institutions working in the field of water as well as good governance, alongside a strengthening of communication actions on water issues among of the different targets and their awareness of the need to adhere to a change in behavior regarding the use of water in favor of its conservation and economy.
For his part, the French Ambassador to Morocco, Christophe Lecourtier, indicated that the French Development Agency (AFD) supports Morocco's “clear and proactive” policy in the management of water resources.
The French diplomat recalled the “very substantial” commitment of the AFD for 30 years in Morocco with one billion euros in support of public policies aimed at improving access to drinking water.
This support from AFD is part of supporting the Kingdom's public policies in line with the new development model, he added, further emphasizing that the management of water stress is a common issue in the region. Mediterranean.
Mr. Lecourtier also assured that France, with its partners in the European Union (EU), will stand alongside Morocco to find innovative solutions with a view to having more efficient management of water resources, indicating that AFD has financed several programs developed by the National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE) and other actors in the Kingdom.
The French diplomat also called for mobilizing universities and research centers to invent the technologies of tomorrow with a view to managing water resources, also underlining the importance of developing the supply of water and managing its uses. .
This seminar, organized in celebration of World Water Day by the Ministry of Equipment and Water in partnership with AFD, was an opportunity to reward 14 schoolchildren from the Regional Academy of Education and Training in the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region, winners of a plastic arts competition around the preservation of water and the economics of its use.
Its objective is to raise awareness of the challenges linked to water management in a context of scarcity and to discuss solutions for strengthening the resilience of this sector and to promote the exchange of experiences and best practices in water management. drought in a context of climate change in Morocco and other Mediterranean countries with a similar climatic context.
