Climate change is exacerbating water scarcity in Morocco, says BAM

Morocco is facing a significant challenge concerning climate change and its resulting economic and social consequences, which forces it to adapt and search for ways to reduce the impact of the repercussions of the man-made looming disaster.

The repercussions of climate change are manifesting in the rise in temperatures, which rose between 1970 and 2020 by an average of 0.21 degrees Celsius every ten years, in addition to a 4.2% decrease in precipitation every ten years.

Bank Al-Maghrib’s annual report for 2021 invoked this imminent danger, pointing to the water deficit in the country that is increasing in an alarming rate and is exacerbated by demographic pressure and the growing needs of economic sectors, especially agriculture, which accounts for about 88% of national water consumption.

Morocco is among the least abundant countries in terms of water resources per capita, with a limited water capacity of 645 cubic meters per capita per year in 2015, a level well below the “water poverty threshold” estimated at 1,000 cubic metres.

Projections indicate that per capita resources will decrease by 2050 to 500 cubic meters, reaching the “threshold of severe water scarcity.”

In its report, BAM said that Morocco has significant potentials in terms of non-conventional water resources, such as in the desalination of sea water.

However, the production capacity of mechanisms for this purpose remain weak and limited, not to mention the high cost of such alternatives.

To face this situation, the Moroccan Central Bank said that it is necessary to change the pattern of preparing public policies and adopt a comprehensive and rigorous approach to enhance awareness of climate considerations in any decision taken in the public or private sphere.

The report also stressed the need to raise investments in water infrastructure that are able to adapt, in order to be able to reduce GDP losses by about 60% and mitigate shocks on public debt.

In addition, the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) notes that the 1.5°C target of limiting climate warming is increasingly questionable compared to pre-industrial times, with dire human and economic consequences.

Africa, despite its limited contribution to global emissions of greenhouse gases, is one of the continents most vulnerable to the risks of climate change, with assessments issued by the United Nations indicating an economic loss of about 3% of GDP annually until 2050.