Moroccan Farmers Arrested for Illegally Irrigating Crops with Wastewater

There are ten farmers who were arrested by the prefectural authorities of the province of El Kelaa des Sraghna. These farmers were irrigating vegetable, fruit and livestock crops with wastewater. Their discovery was to block the wastewater pipes with large sandbags in order to divert them to their fields, whereas they were normally supposed to be discharged into the wastewater treatment plant in the province.

The daily Al Massae reports that it was following complaints from residents alerted by these actions that the competent health and security authorities went to the site to make the observation. Once on site, the farmers were caught in the act of irrigating their crops with wastewater in the rural commune of El Merbouh. They were arrested and taken into custody, under the supervision of the competent public prosecutor’s office, which ordered the opening of an investigation, the daily continued.

The same source recalls that the Ministry of the Interior had prohibited any unauthorized use of wastewater due to the risk of contamination, in a note recently addressed to the walis and regional governors. For the authorities, no wastewater can be used if it has not been previously recognized as treated and compliant with the standard.