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Biological and ecological site of interest (SIBE) in the Oriental region, the Moulouya River no longer flows into the sea, thus threatening an already fragile ecosystem. In the region, academics and ecologists blame the installation of pumping stations intended for irrigation, which have multiplied, increasing the impact on the river's flow to its mouth, contrary to promises of strict control of these activities. Agronomist engineer and doctor in geography, Mohamed Benata confirmed to Yabiladi a finding he has been warning about for several years.
Also president of the Oriental Solidarity and Cooperation Space (ESCO), coordinator of the Northern Morocco Ecolo Platform (ECOLOMAN), the researcher visited the site on December 13 and 15, 2024. As part of a scientific field trip, he was able to document in images the riverbank completely detached from the sea. This water point has indeed been replaced by a sandy dune, easily accessible on foot between the two banks. Normally, these can only be crossed by water transportation.
An ecological flow reduced to zero
According to Mohamed Benata, «the situation is very serious», especially since it is now recurring. «It is the catastrophic scenario that we predicted, while hoping it would not happen. But it has finally materialized, and we have been warning about it over the past four years», he told us.
Dried-up mouth of the Moulouya / Ph. Mohamed Benata
With the commissioning of the Ouled Settout pumping station in 2021, researchers and ecologists in the region have drawn the attention of officials, «starting with the Ministry of Agriculture, to the local consequences, especially since the Moulouya River is known for its average flow, entirely regulated by the surrounding dams», recalls the specialist to our editorial staff.
In the past, the response from the responsible department was «a statement on the commitment to ensure compliance with the ecological flow», to ensure a minimum level of natural flow and thus preserve aquatic ecosystems, where the mouth to the sea plays a central role.
«After the dams, there remain the sources that provide some water, with a flow of the lower part of the Moulouya River estimated at 7 cubic meters per second. In 1995, a first station at Moulay Ali reduced it to 3.1 m3/s, divided between agricultural activity and the needs of nature. In 2021, the Ouled Settout station was added, further reducing the flow to 1.6 m3/s. Freshwater has started to become increasingly scarce, and the salinity of agricultural soils downstream has increased.»
Ph. Mohamed Benata
Faced with this situation, Mohamed Benata and a group of researchers in the region conducted a survey, the result of which is alarming. He claims to have counted, over the past four years, «more than 100 private pumping stations that have sprung up anarchically in the lower part, without authorization from the Moulouya Hydraulic Basin Agency». Consequently, «the wetland has dried up, the ecological flow has disappeared, as has the vital connection between the river and the sea».
«A phenomenon of great gravity»
For wetland specialists, «it is a phenomenon of great gravity, endangering a number of fragile ecosystems for more than a year». According to Mohamed Benata, local authorities and responsible administrations have also been alerted to the situation of a Site of Biological and Ecological Interest. The researcher explains:
«With the help of equipment, the concerned parties proceeded to remove sand to ensure a reopening of the mouth. However, the ecologists, of which we are part, have pointed out to them that this was not a one-time problem requiring only such a human intervention, but rather an environmental issue that could jeopardize the natural balance of the region.»
The two banks separated from the mouth of the Moulouya / Ph. Mohamed Benata
In response to these challenges, Mohamed Benata insists on respecting the minimum conditions for the sustainability of the site's ecosystem, where «the ecological flow allows maintaining the link between the sea and the river, which is necessary for aquatic species that migrate between fresh and saltwater, breed in the Moulouya, and grow in the Mediterranean».
The worst finding, according to the researcher, is that the case of the Moulouya River is sadly no longer unprecedented. Mohamed Benata notably recalls «what happened previously at other mouths and threatened wetland areas in Morocco, such as Oum Rabiî, Tensift, and dried-up lakes of the Middle Atlas, due to anarchic installations of pumping stations».
