Analysis of the Water Supply-demand Relationship in the Middle Draa Valley, Morocco, under Climate Change and Socio-economic Scenarios

Karmaoui, Ahmed; Ifaadassan, Issam; Babqiqi, Abdelaziz; Messouli, Mohammed; Khebiza, Mohammed Yacoubi

doi:10.9734/jsrr/2016/21536

Cited by 26 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In the last year, the number of wells and motor pumps rapidly increased. The number of pumps was estimated in 1977 and 2011 to be 2000 and more than 10,000, respectively [54], in the MDV. The risk of overexploitation causes water scarcity and increases the salinity in the groundwater system.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Desertification Sensitivity Analysis Using MEDALUS Model and GIS: A Case Study of the Oases of Middle Draa Valley, Morocco

Lamqadem

Pradhan

Saber

et al. 2018

Sensors

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Oases can play a significant role in the sustainable economic development of arid and Saharan regions. The aim of this study was to map the desertification-sensitive areas in the Middle Draa Valley (MDV), which is in the southeast of Morocco. A total of 13 indices that affect desertification processes were identified and analyzed using a geographic information system. The Mediterranean desertification and land use approach; which has been widely used in the Mediterranean regions due to its simplicity; flexibility and rapid implementation strategy; was applied. All the indices were grouped into four main quality indices; i.e., soil quality; climate quality; vegetation quality and management quality indices. Each quality index was constructed by the combination of several sub-indicators. In turn; the geometric mean of the four quality index maps was used to construct a map of desertification-sensitive areas; which were classified into four classes (i.e., low; moderate; high and very high sensitivity). Results indicated that only 16.63% of the sites in the study were classified as least sensitive to desertification; and 50.34% were classified as highly and very highly sensitive areas. Findings also showed that climate and human pressure factors are the most important indicators affecting desertification sensitivity in the MDV. The framework used in this research provides suitable results and can be easily implemented in similar oasis arid areas.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Desertification Sensitivity Analysis Using MEDALUS Model and GIS: A Case Study of the Oases of Middle Draa Valley, Morocco

Lamqadem

Pradhan

Saber

et al. 2018

Sensors

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…While NOORo II and III were designed to use dry cooling technologies needing only small volumes of water, NOORo I uses a wet cooling system with significant water requirements. However, the solar power plant's water demand is currently marginal, drawing only about 0.8% of the reservoir's water compared to the 96% used for agriculture, 2.2% for the residential sector in Ouarzazate, and 0.9% for the tourism sector (own calculations based on [19,[25][26][27]. However, with the capacity of the reservoir declining and in light of the expected negative effects of climate change on the water supply, the power plant's water demand could become critical.…”

Section: Case Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Localizing the Water-Energy Nexus: The Relationship between Solar Thermal Power Plants and Future Developments in Local Water Demand

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Water availability plays an important role in the expansion planning of utility-scale solar power plants, especially in the arid regions of the Middle East and North Africa. Although these power plants usually account for only a small fraction of local water demand, competition for water resources between communities, farmers, companies, and power suppliers is already emerging and is likely to intensify in future. Despite this, to date there has been a lack of comprehensive studies analyzing interdependencies and potential conflicts between energy and water at local level. This study addresses this research gap and examines the linkages between water resources and energy technologies at local level based on a case study conducted in Ouarzazate, Morocco, where one of the largest solar power complexes in the world was recently completed. To better understand the challenges faced by the region in light of increased water demand and diminishing water supply, a mixed-method research design was applied to integrate the knowledge of local stakeholders through a series of workshops. In a first step, regional socio-economic water demand scenarios were developed and, in a second step, water saving measures to avoid critical development pathways were systematically evaluated using a participatory multi-criteria evaluation approach. The results are a set of water demand scenarios for the region and a preferential ranking of water saving measures that could be drawn upon to support decision-making relating to energy and water development in the region.

show abstract

“…The hydrological system depends on the extent of water runoff in the High Atlas mountain chain, which is located north of Ouarzazate City [23]. However, the scarce surface water supply in the MDV results in high dependence on groundwater pumping, which increased from 2000 pumps in 1977 in the six oases to 10,000 in 2011 [24]. The Mansour Eddahbi Dam, which was constructed in 1972, is at risk from severe siltation.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This area has a higher level of limited stocks than the increase rate of demand, especially for unsustainable crops, such as watermelon cultivation that expanded from a little over 100 ha in 2010 to more than 2400 ha in 2014 in the MDV. Of the total amount of exploitable water resources, 96.66% is allocated to agriculture, 2.70% to domestic use, 0.28% to tourism and 0.36% to economic activities [24]. Farms practice traditional production methods, including three levels of vegetation management: Palm trees (Phoenix dactylifera), fruit trees and crops.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantitative Assessment of Desertification in an Arid Oasis Using Remote Sensing Data and Spectral Index Techniques

2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Desertification is an environmental problem worldwide. Remote sensing data and technique offer substantial information for mapping and assessment of desertification. Desertification is one of the most serious forms of environmental threat in Morocco, especially in the oases in the south-eastern part of the country. This study aims to map the degree of desertification in middle Draa Valley in 2017 using a Sentinel-2 MSI (multispectral instrument) image. Firstly, three indices, namely, tasselled cap brightness (TCB), greenness (TCG) and wetness (TCW) were extracted using the tasselled cap transformation method. Secondly, other indices, such as normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and albedo, were retrieved. Thirdly, a linear regression analysis was performed on NDVI–albedo, TCG–TCB and TCW–TCB combinations. Results showed a higher correlation between TCW and TCB (r = −0.812) than with that of the NDVI–albedo (r = −0.50). On the basis of this analysis, a desertification degree index was developed using the TCW–TCB feature space classification. A map of desertification grades was elaborated and divided into five classes, namely, nondesertification, low, moderate, severe and extreme levels. Results indicated that only 6.20% of the study area falls under the nondesertification grade, whereas 26.92% and 32.85% fall under the severe and extreme grades, respectively. The employed method was useful for the quantitative assessment of desertification with an overall accuracy of 93.07%. This method is simple, robust, powerful, and easy to use for the management and protection of the fragile arid and semiarid lands.

show abstract

Analysis of the Water Supply-demand Relationship in the Middle Draa Valley, Morocco, under Climate Change and Socio-economic Scenarios

Cited by 26 publications

References 0 publications

Desertification Sensitivity Analysis Using MEDALUS Model and GIS: A Case Study of the Oases of Middle Draa Valley, Morocco

Desertification Sensitivity Analysis Using MEDALUS Model and GIS: A Case Study of the Oases of Middle Draa Valley, Morocco

Localizing the Water-Energy Nexus: The Relationship between Solar Thermal Power Plants and Future Developments in Local Water Demand

Quantitative Assessment of Desertification in an Arid Oasis Using Remote Sensing Data and Spectral Index Techniques

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About