In order to improve agricultural production in the province of Taounate in Morocco, the government will pump water from the Bouhouda dam built on the Oued (river) Sra. The operation recently launched by the Moroccan Minister of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development and Water and Forests, Mohammed Sadiki, is one of the components of the Bouhouda hydro-agricultural development project, which has already seen the construction of several infrastructures.
These include a connection pipe between the Bouhouda dam and a pressure and flow regulation structure, an 11,950-metre-long underground pipeline between the dam and the Bouhouda perimeter, irrigation water distribution networks, sanitation and traffic lanes, as well as hydrants and plot outlets adapted for drip irrigation.
At least four beneficiary councils
Of the 55 million m3 of water retained by the Bouhouda dam, the annual volume reserved for agriculture amounts to 15 million m3. The Moroccan government will draw on this reserve to supply the drip irrigation systems that will be installed as part of this operation. At least 1850 hectares of land will be covered by the project, notably in the councils of Ain Aicha, Ain Madiouna, Rghioua and Taounate.
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In addition to improving agricultural yields and farmers’ incomes, the Bouhouda hydro-agricultural development project will contribute to the preservation of water resources through modern irrigation systems. The initiative is in line with the new Generation Green 2020-2030 strategy, which will contribute to “the emergence of an agricultural middle class, to energising rural youth, to developing human capital and to further structuring farmers around efficient organisations”, according to the Moroccan Ministry of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development and Water and Forests. The new irrigated agricultural areas of Bouhouda will be managed by associations of agricultural water users.
Inès Magoum