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Morocco Managing Water Resources Sustainably through Reforms and Investment

Global Arab Network - - Hannan Taha

Thursday, 30 September 2010 01:23

The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) has worked with Morocco on a range of water reforms to address challenges in managing its water resources that contributed to a jump in the number of rural people with access to potable water, and in the number of poor peri-urban households connected to piped water and sewage services. As a result of acceleration of rural water supply programs, potable water access had risen to over 87 percent in 2009 from 50 percent in 2004, reports Global Arab Network according World Bank study.

Scarce and unevenly distributed rainfall has made water a key economic and social development issue in Morocco. The country has invested heavily in dams, water supply capacity, and large-scale irrigation systems to secure water for urban and agricultural demands. While largely successful, this strong supply focus was not accompanied by balancing policies aimed at sustainability, such as water demand management, water resource conservation and protection, and equitable service development in rural and poor communities. Morocco’s water management strategies needed to adapt to meet a number of challenges: growing water deficits, persisting gaps in service access, slow changes in legislation, limited infrastructure programs, pressing demographic growth, and climate change.

Currently, about 2 million Moroccans remain without access to water supply and sanitation services in semi-urban areas around Morocco’s main cities. In the Casablanca metropolitan area alone, an estimated 145,000 households (or 900,000 inhabitants) do not receive adequate water supply and sanitation services. These residents get water from contaminated shallow wells, water providers who charge a relatively high unit price, or standpipes which often require women or children to queue for several hours.

Approach

The 2006–2009 Country Assistance Strategy for Morocco substantially contributed to the evolution and implementation of water policies and infrastructure priorities in Morocco, covering sector governance, water resources management, irrigation and water supply and sanitation aspects. In parallel to policy reform, the country’s water sector investment program was designed to build infrastructure while supporting implementation of new policies by central and decentralized agencies on the ground. The Country Partnership Strategy for the 2010-13 fiscal years confirms the commitment of the Bank to the water sector, with a broad program of investment and technical support laid out.

Results

Morocco is now on track to exceed the targets for water and sanitation services contained in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Between 2005 and 2009, public expenditure in support of urban, peri-urban, and rural water supply and sanitation infrastructure programs rose to 25 percent from 5 percent of the total public expenditure for water (which also covers water resource management and irrigation). As a result of acceleration of rural water supply programs, including a US$60 million IBRD-financed project, potable water access has risen to over 87 percent in 2009 from 50 percent in 2004.

Partners

Practically all Morocco’s development partners are active in the water sector given its importance to the country’s economic and social development. In the case of the Bank-financed operations, the projects approved are being implemented in close collaboration with Agence Francaise de Developpement (AFD) the German Development Agency (KfW) and the African Development Bank.

Bank Contribution

In 2007, a US$100 million Morocco Water Sector development policy loan supported comprehensive water reform to address legislative, institutional, financing, and planning gaps, and inefficiencies in Morocco’s water sector. Prior to the loan, IBRD supported extensive analytical work and capacity building with US$2.2 million and another US$8.5 million in trust fund grants. This analytical work, along with unprecedented levels of inter-ministerial dialogue, led to a reform program in which water-demand management, conservation and resource protection became new thrusts in Morocco’s water strategy. IBRD also provided support through different instruments. In FY06, the Bank approved a Rural Water Supply and Sanitation project which supports the national program to increase sustainable access to potable water in rural areas, while promoting improve wastewater management and hygiene practices.

In 2007, the Bank supported an innovative and successful large-scale pilot in poor un-zoned peri-urban neighborhoods of 3 big cities to demonstrate Output Based Aid (OBA) mechanisms for the promotion of water and sanitation service connections in chronically under-served areas. The aim of the pilot is to connect 11,300 households to piped water and sanitation service. The pilots are funded through a US$7 million grant. The OBA pilot breaks new ground, as it is the first: (i) OBA project in Morocco and in the Bank’s MENA region; (ii) Project involving multiple incumbent operators, piloting the same approach with terms adapted to the specific situation of each city; (iii) Project involving a public operator. Although initially designed to work with private sector operators, GPOBA has broadened its scope to work with any commercially viable entity; (iv) World Bank-administered OBA involving connection to piped sanitation, aiming at developing simultaneous connection to maximize efficiency gains and health impacts.; (v) World Bank-administered OBA project in local currency, to avoid adding a foreign exchange risk to the technical and financial risk taken by the operator.

The World Bank Group also is assisting with the development of an innovative desalination private-public partnership in the Souss-Massa region, to complement irrigation resources and conserve groundwater.

During FY10, the Bank approved three new water-related projects for a combined total of US$285 million – Oum Er Rbia Sanitation Project, Oum Er Rbia Irrigation Project and Regional Potable Water Supply Project.

Beneficiaries

As previously mentioned, the OBA pilot projects target 11,300 households in peri-urban areas that have been to date chronically under-serves with the goal of increasing piped water and sanitation services. For the Oum Er Rbia Irrigation project, the beneficiaries are farmers in the targeted project areas. The project supports participating farmers to increase their productivity and to promote more sustainable use of irrigation water to overcome current and future water deficits. In the case of the Oum Er Rbia Sanitation project, it supports the government’s goal of increasing the overall rate of sanitation access and the reduction of pollution in the natural environment, thus improving the living and health conditions of the population in the areas covered by the project. Finally, the objective of the Regional Potable Water Supply project is to increase access to potable water supply for selected local communities.

Moving Forward

Besides the implementation of the new and ongoing projects, next steps in the water partnership with the Government of Morocco may include policy dialogue and lending to accompany further reforms and investment for climate change adaptation of water resources management and nationwide replication of peri-urban connection pilots.

Global Arab Network

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Last Updated on Thursday, 30 September 2010 12:20

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