How to address increasing water scarcity in Morocco? Different water experts working on urban and residential water management in Morocco joined a Shiraka tailored training at The Hague Academy. In this article, they share their reflections on how the training provided them with valuable insights on sustainably managing water in residential and urban areas.
Nada El Moaden leads the Service for the Promotion of Sustainable Architectural Development and Construction Practices at the Ministry of National Territory Planning, Land Planning, Housing and City Policy (MATUHPV), where she supports the Moroccan government’s efforts to rationalise water consumption in the residential sector.
As part of the Shiraka Training Programme, Nada and her colleagues from various institutions attended a tailored training at The Hague Academy to learn about the technical and governance aspects of sustainable water management in urban and residential areas, reflecting Morocco’s broader emphasis on promoting resource sustainability in the face of rising water scarcity challenges.
Water Scarcity in Morocco
Morocco is facing water shortages as a result of several years of drought and low rainfall. This critical issue has prompted a recent state of alert and a renewed call for the government to expand on its water policy.
As course participant Mahassine Baraca, Director of the Tangier Urban Agency, puts it:
“Water is a vital resource for our country, essential for our socio-economic development. However, we are facing increasingly pressing challenges, including the growing scarcity of water resources and the impacts of climate change. Given this reality, it is imperative that we adopt a proactive approach based on efficient water management principles”.
The MATUHPV roadmap for rationalising water consumption aims to create a national strategy to progressively integrate sustainable water management practices in residential areas. Explaining that they have particularly worked towards reducing gas emissions and adapting to heat waves, Nada sought to gain expertise on water management:
“… managing water stress and saving water is a new field for my professional role, which we are exploring day by day, and this training is undoubtedly an opportunity to view the issue of water management in the residential sector through a different lens than our context”.
At The Hague Academy
During the training, participants learned about the common challenges of water management in both Morocco and the Netherlands. They discussed Dutch rainwater harvesting techniques like Rainwater Wall, Rainmate, and BlueBloqs, as well as Dutch water management and conservation standards. They further explored urban water governance efforts in the face of climate change through walking tours in Rotterdam and Amsterdam. In the latter, a visit to De Ceuvel, an urban renewal site that turned an old shipyard into a regenerative office park and cultural centre, showcased a multidisciplinary and creative approach to a sustainability challenge. Finally, the participants had the opportunity to exchange with representatives of different relevant RVO programs, including Water as Leverage and Partners for Water.
Nada shared the positive experience she had learning of the various case studies: “Despite the different challenges faced by Morocco and the Netherlands, this training was very enriching because it is not about replicating the technical solutions and governance modes of the Netherlands, but rather about benefiting from and adapting them to our context”.
Other participants shared their own specific takeaways from the training. Jamila El Harizi leads the MATUHPV Division of Architectural Enhancement and Sustainability, while Lotfi Halima is in charge of Al Omrane Casablanca Settat’s Realisations Department. They both emphasised their gained knowledge of citizen participation tools, as well as the value of citizen engagement and experimentation in integrated water management. With a pilot water management project in mind, Lotfi valued the lesson that “experimentation can be a source of innovation and that even simple solutions can have considerable impact”.
Back-Home Action Plans
The participants returned home with a commitment to adapt and implement the knowledge gained during the training. Nadia, Mahassine, Jamila, and Lotfi shared their back-home action plans:
MATUHPV
Returning to Morocco, Nada and Jamila plan to integrate the knowledge acquired during the training into the MATUHPV roadmap. Jamila emphasised the usefulness of SMART objectives in implementing the roadmap.
“The first thing to do is to review the action plan of the roadmap by translating actions into SMART objectives with a well-defined order of priority”, Nada continues.
Equipped with expanded tools for integrated stakeholder management, they will review target partners at each step and contact them accordingly, restarting the consultation process to “co-construct a final version of the roadmap that is clearer and more feasible”.
Tangier
Mahassine underscored the strategic value of incorporating water management into urban planning. Given Tangier’s environmental and climatic challenges, Mahassine’s participation in the training provided new tools for incorporating water management principles into urban planning and development.
Back in Tangier, Mahassine will lead a study that combines urban planning and the circular economy of water. This research seeks to create standards for city planning regulations, strengthen capacities, and create digital support tools. She intends to use these to support and create concrete urban projects.
Casablanca Settat
Back in the Casablanca Settat region, Lotfi aims to incorporate water management strategies into new real estate development, like the Eco-city pilot project in Soualem. Lofti intends to support the validation of new projects through the lessons gained in project design, funding, and evaluation.
Envisioning the Future
The participants envision a future where integrated water management becomes a cornerstone of urban and residential planning and development in Morocco.
The training also created opportunities for further collaboration between the Netherlands and Morocco by exchanging contacts, best practices, and initiatives. As participant Mahmoudi Abdelaali, Head of the Projects and Contractualization Division at the MATUHPV, shares:
“International cooperation and the exchange of experiences are essential avenues for winning the battle of water resource conservation”.
