Groundwater - North Africa's Blue Gold 2

Following my previous post, we will now explore the causes of unsustainable groundwater use in North Africa, and some proposed solutions.

Map of transboundary water aquifer between Morocco and Algeria and the location of boreholes (Fanack Water, 2019)
Key drivers

Factors contributing to the unsustainable use of groundwater for irrigation can be briefly summarised into three categories. First is the ‘groundwater economy’ - the profit and production-driven use of groundwater for irrigation (Lejars, Daoudi and Amichi, 2017). Public policies designed to use groundwater resources sustainably and equitably are often merely tokenisation than actual implementation (Kuper, Amichi and Mayaux, 2017). Together with the emergence of private, ‘informal’ agricultural practices in the 1980s, meeting short-term production goals has been prioritised over sustainable resource use by both the state and individual users. Secondly, regional rivalries trigger unhealthy rates of abstraction. Spanning 2,650 km², the Bounaim-Tafna basin, for instance, is a vital source of agricultural production for both Morocco and Algeria (Zarhloule, 2010). However, ongoing conflicts over Western Sahara and the lack of a management framework have contributed to the overexploitation of this transnational resource. Thirdly, the term ‘overexploitation’ itself is often oversimplified (Ameur et al., 2017). This is when groundwater usage is not distinguished by the user and the type of usage, but instead, blamed on the agricultural sector as a whole. As such, no party is willing to take the responsibility for the abstractions.

Sustainable solutions for a sustainable future

From a social and governance point of view, regional cooperation will be a key starting point for the sustainable use of transnational aquifers. Improved groundwater monitoring will provide knowledge of the interactions between aquifers and the effects of pumping (Taylor et al., 2012). A multilevel, participatory approach involving all relevant stakeholders can then help us identify how much water is being used for what purpose, and by whom, which will in turn provide accountability (Ameur et al., 2017).

From a technical point of view, lowering the usage to a sustainable amount is unrealistic in many regions as users are already ‘locked in’ the social, economic, and political benefits that they currently receive. Recycling and reusing wastewater in this instance could have a massive potential: 82% of water is unrecycled in North Africa, compared to 30% in high-income countries (Sadoff and Jagerskog, 2017). To enhance wastewater usage, agricultural and sanitation sectors need enhanced collaboration, while governments can provide economic incentives to drive innovations in wastewater management. Further, the focus needs to shift away from the ‘groundwater economy’ to long-term sustainability. For instance, compared to water-intensive monocultures that were the core of profit-driven agriculture introduced during the green revolution, traditional crop varieties, as demonstrated in northern Tunisia, are not only more water efficient, but drought resilient, and can provide higher yields in the long term.

Although none of these solutions is perfect, any, or a combination of these could be the essential step towards a more food-secure and sustainable future in North Africa.


The Suez wastewater treatment plan sets an example for sustainable water use (Takouleu, 2021)

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