Limited water resources and growing demand

The underground water table represents the main source of drinking water supply for the inhabitants of the Guelmim province. However, its deficit due to an increasing demand for water consumption does not allow it to meet the growing needs for this vital commodity, driven by accelerated population growth and the development of the agricultural sector.Notwithstanding the achievements made in the province over the last two decades to mobilise water resources, the rise in demand for this commodity will lead to an increase in the exploitation of groundwater from the Guelmim hydraulic basin, which lacks surface water resources.The regional delegation of the Souss-Massa-Drâa Hydraulic Basin Agency in Guelmim indicates that the water table of this basin is experiencing, due to this increasing demand combined with the scarcity of rainfall, an annual deficit amounting to 3 million m3, causing an…