The Secretary-General of the Province of Berkane chaired a meeting at the provincial headquarters in response to the national circular on rationalizing the use of water at the level of territorial collectivities. The meeting brought together the Director of the Moulouya Hydraulic Basin Agency, the Director of the National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE) Water Branch, the Provincial Director of ORMVAM, as well as other provincial officials related to water issues. The Presidents of the 16 municipalities of the Province were also present, along with the authorities from the various Pachaliks and circles of the Province.
The objective of the meeting was to implement the directives of the circular, which include the establishment of monitoring commissions for the national program of drinking water and irrigation water supply. Additionally, there are plans to establish a mapping of water consumption to analyze consumer behaviors by geographical area and administrative establishment. The circular also aims to combat wastage by detecting and repairing leaks in pipelines.
The Presidents of the municipalities took advantage of this meeting to present the challenges and specific issues faced by each of them. The presentations from the officials of the different entities involved in water resource management provided scientific and technical responses to the concerns raised.
The meeting concluded with several recommendations, including raising awareness among the population, major water consumers, schools, and administrations about the rationalization of water consumption. It was also emphasized the importance of enhancing maintenance, research, and repair operations for leaks in networks, as well as continuing actions to combat water theft and fraud. Concrete measures were proposed, including the prohibition of watering green spaces with potable water, limiting the cleaning of public roads with potable water, and establishing an annual frequency for pool refilling.
Furthermore, it was recommended to accelerate the implementation of urgent actions outlined in the partnership agreement, such as discovering new underground resources, disconnecting demineralization pipelines for brackish waters, and the desalination project for seawater.
