Morocco Bans Water-Intensive Melon Crops Amid Severe Drought

The local authorities have banned the cultivation of these two fruits that consume a lot of water, in this critical period where the drop in the water table level is becoming worrying after the severe drought that has hit Morocco in recent years, reports the daily Al Akhbar.

This decision follows the latest circular from the Ministry of the Interior inviting the territorial administration agents to take measures to rationalize the consumption of drinking water. In this perspective, the local authorities of Guelmim had stopped authorizing the drilling of wells intended to irrigate new crops and had led a campaign against unauthorized wells.

A dozen water sources are completely dried up due to these bad practices, and in particular the introduction, in recent years, of certain high water consumption crops such as watermelon and melon in the region, which has had very harmful consequences on the water table.