The last few weeks have been marked, at the national level, by an exceptional heatwave. It has been particularly trying in the Kingdom's Saharan provinces. Although the inhabitants of these provinces are used to it, the heat this summer was aggravated by the drought that has been raging for a few years from Tata to Bir Guendouz, but also and above all by the scarcity of water in the cities.

This vital commodity that the National Water Office qualifies as potable, if it is so in certain parts of the Kingdom, in Laâyoune, Boujdour, Dakhla, Smara, or Tarfaya, the water consumed comes from the wells of Tan Tan.

This water, even if it can be used for household use or for watering animals, cannot be consumed by humans, as it is brackish. But one still has to find it. While the State has made significant investments to guarantee a regular supply of water to these cities, the significant demographic development that they have experienced in recent years far exceeds the authorities' forecasts. Thus, the inhabitants of these cities have been deprived of water, most of the time, during the heatwave days. As we write these lines, and although the days of extreme heat have passed, there is still a lack of water in this region.

In the countryside and the communes under these cities, the situation is even worse, because the heat persists, and the chergui and sandstorms dry up water points and precarious pastures.

The latest fuel price increase decided by the government has not helped matters for households. Because, as soon as it was announced, the increase was passed on by the owners of water tankers used by the populations, with the price of a barrel rising from 6.5 DH to 10 DH for undrinkable water coming from desalination units. As for drinkable water coming from Tan Tan, the barrel went from 50 to 70 DH.

As for the livestock, it would have been decimated if it had not been for the fodder distributed by the authorities and the State tankers that supply the fixed water points.