Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Morocco’s answer to drought is in the ocean. Could more of Africa
follow its lead?
The world is now using more water than nature provides by rain and
snow, and as a result, rivers and lakes are shrinking, wetlands are drying up, and
aquifers are declining. Morocco spans from the Atlantic Ocean to mountainous
areas and the Sahara Desert. As drought occurs more frequently and for longer,
the country can no longer rely on rainfall and dam inflows. So, the country
with a population of 37 million launched a project to provide fresh water from
the Atlantic to coastal cities while using dam water and rainfall for inland
areas. The project includes building desalination plants, dams, wastewater
reuse, and water pipelines. The energy-intensive desalination plants are
powered by eco-friendly wind and solar power. Economically, desalinated water
will boost agricultural outputs and secure farming jobs, which account for a
third of the nation’s workforce. However, they also produce high-salt-concentration
brine with chemical residues, which could damage marine ecosystems when
discharged back into the ocean. Currently, over 20,000 desalination plants are
in operation around the world, most of which are fossil-fuel-powered and in the
Middle East. Morocco wants its water project to be shared by other water-stricken
African countries.
Read the article and learn about how Morocco is managing the water
crisis.
No comments:
Post a Comment