Moroccan Earthquake Revives Long-Dormant Water Sources in Atlas Mountains

"Just after the earthquake, the waters started flowing again in the Imazhirni wadi after 20 years of drought. The appearance of this source was caused by the power of the earthquake that hit our region. Until last Friday, the wadi was completely dry, but today its course has changed and its flow is very important," says Yassine, one of the inhabitants of these douars, to the Arabic daily Al Ahdath Al Maghribia. This gives hope to the inhabitants of the locality of Aghram and its seven douars such as Lalla Noumeghzli, Tasrimout, Ikidi, Tajaklt and Ait Sial.

"The earthquake revived sources that were completely dried up. This water discharge is not limited to the commune of Aghram, but has spread to the entire Al Haouz region where new sources have emerged, while the flow of the old ones has increased," said another inhabitant of this locality, specifying that this source comes from Ait Sial, the highest of the douars nestled in the mountain and that the waters will be clear in a few days after the disappearance of the first runoff mixed with earth and stones.

"The water table is the source of the waters that flow from the sources. Generally, the geological structure of groundwater consists of an impermeable layer and another permeable one. It is the impermeable layer that allows the collection of water in the permeable layer. The topographic break in this layer causes the flow of water from the sources," explains geology expert Mohamed Tilssane, however specifying that the flow of these waters is not permanent. According to him, this depends on the return of precipitation and the volume of the natural reservoir of groundwater.

According to the new provisional report published by the Ministry of the Interior, the powerful earthquake that shook Morocco has killed nearly 3,000 people. On the ground, rescuers continue to search for survivors in the rubble.