Groundwater Resources Scarcity in Souss-Massa Region and Alternative Solutions for Sustainable Agricultural Development.

The Souss-Massa region, located in the south-west of Morocco, is among the regions that suffer the most from water stress. It’s characterized by an arid climate with low and irregular rainfall in time and space. Consequently, there’s a considerable rainfall deficit which negatively affects the water resources in the region. Moreover, the economy of the region is mainly based on agriculture which consumes more than 90% of the region's total water resources. As a result, surface water resources have become increasingly insufficient with regard to the demand. Use of groundwater resources has always been a secular practice in the area. In recent years, groundwater overexploitation has exceeded the renewable resources and has led to the depletion of the different aquifers of Souss-Massa region. In addition, high population growth, degradation of water quality, expansion of agricultural and industrial activity negatively affected water availability. Furthermore, a significant proportion of raw industrial and urban water rejections are released directly into nature, and excessive use of pesticides in agriculture and marine intrusion cause pollution and salinity of the groundwater. This study focuses on the vulnerability of groundwater resources and alternative solutions for agricultural development. This thematic allows the use of unconventional waters to test new techniques for the treatment and recycling of wastewater. Treated wastewater will be reused for irrigation in the Souss-Massa region, in order to reduce the vulnerability of water resources scarcity, to improve economic growth, to promote sustainable use of treated wastewater in agriculture and to produce good quality agricultural products.