An emergency plan to rationalise water in the Loukkos basin

The level of precipitation in the Loukkos basin, which has not exceeded 250 mm since the beginning of this year, against an annual average of 700 mm, has pushed the parties concerned to attach particular importance to the rationalisation of irrigation water coming from the Oued El-Makhazine dam and the groundwater, in order to save the agricultural season and achieve optimal yield in relation to this difficult situation. But according to professionals, this situation is aggravated by other structural and organisational factors, preventing good use of water resources, not to mention the indebtedness of farmers to the Regional Office for Agricultural Development of the Loukkos (ORMVAL), which finds itself unable to pay the electricity bill necessary for the operation of irrigation equipment in the basin.The basin's surface and groundwater resources are estimated at nearly one billion m3,…