Morocco Restricts Hammam and Car Wash Operations to Combat Water Scarcity

According to the decree issued by the Wali of the Marrakech-Safi region, hammams and car washing stations will only open on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. They will remain closed on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. This decree came into effect on January 24. Offenders risk a 10-day temporary closure. In case of recurrence, the closure will be permanent.

The owners of the hammams must install meters for the wells or boreholes used to supply the bathing water, with the need to take all necessary measures and procedures for optimal and economical management of groundwater, in addition to providing monthly reports on the quantities of water consumed, to be deposited with the services of the prefecture of Marrakech, specifies the document cited by the website Al3omk.

They are also prohibited from "totally using alternative sources to supply bathing and car, truck and various vehicle and equipment washing water. They are also invited to "contribute to awareness-raising and consciousness-raising among professionals, of the need to protect water resources and preserve this vital matter and its optimal use".

To ensure compliance with the decision, the prefecture of Marrakech has set up a joint monitoring and control committee composed of the prefecture of Marrakech, the local authorities, the Tensift Hydraulic Basin Agency, the Autonomous Water and Electricity Distribution Authority and the National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water. Already, the law enforcement officers have carried out tours in the various public baths of the city of Marrakech to inform them of the content of the decision and encourage them to implement it and comply with it.