11 points on water policy to keep from King's speech

King Mohammed VI  emphasized in a speech addressed to the nation the need to overhaul the national water policy to combat the effects of years of drought. Here are the key points to keep:

1. Update the national water policy mechanisms and establish a strategic goal to provide drinking water to all citizens and mobilize at least 80% of the irrigation water needed across the national territory.
2. Complete the dam construction program, prioritizing dams in areas receiving significant rainfall.
3. Accelerate the completion of large-scale projects for inter-basin transfers.
4. Accelerate the completion of seawater desalination plants.
5. Develop a national water desalination industry and training courses for specialized engineers and technicians.
6. Encourage the creation of Moroccan companies specializing in the construction and maintenance of desalination plants.
7. Be stricter when it comes to protecting the nation’s water resources, set in place the water police, and reduce the excessive use of water and chaotic water pumping practices.
8. Further coordinate and ensure consistency between the water policy and the agricultural policy, especially in periods of water scarcity, and implement the use of drip irrigation across the country.
9. Adopt a more ambitious program for the treatment and reuse of water to make sure reclaimed water can serve as an important source to cover needs in the areas of irrigation, industry, etc.
10. Encourage innovation and investment in new water management technologies.
11. Expand the Dakhla plant and increase the production capacity of similar facilities in the future, relying on these provinces’ significant potential for clean energy production in order to meet the needs of the population and of productive sectors there, such as agriculture, tourism, industry, etc.