Assessment of Global Change Impacts on Groundwater Resources in Souss-Massa Basin

Abstract

The Souss-Massa region is considered as the most productive and adaptive area in terms of horticulture in Morocco since it provides about 90% of fruit and vegetables exportation at national level. In the last decades this region has suffered from water scarcity problem aggravated by climate change and agricultural intensification leading to water table lowering, groundwater salinization and pumping costs increase. This study aims to assess the global change impacts on groundwater management by developing many scenarios combining cropping system, climate change, political interventions and irrigation strategies, practices and technologies. Climate change scenario suggested that the region will be subjected to an increase in temperature and decline in rainfall. As result of global change the groundwater quality is deteriorated more and more due to agricultural pollution and sea water intrusion. Many strategies and scenarios are already or will be implemented such as cropping system scenarios which are corresponding to change in production pattern especially adopting the soilless system and new crops and varieties. The political interventions and strategies which the government has implemented and willing to setup as the Public Private Partnership Projects are (i) sea desalination for irrigation in Chtouka area, (ii) modern irrigation district in El Guerdane zone, and (iii) aquifer contract. These decisions developed as political scenarios aim to reduce the global change impacts and allow an integrated water resources management for future sustainability. Scenarios related to irrigation strategies especially at field scale which are conversion of surface to drip irrigation, using weather stations network in irrigation scheduling, reusing waste water and installing discharge meters in pumping stations were taken in consideration in this assessment.