Connecting-Africa | Find publications

Advanced search

Find:


Title Sustainable water management and indigenous socio-technical heritage in Marrakech, Morocco
Full text http://dx.doi.org/10.58981/bluepapers.2024.1.17
Date 2024
Author(s) Strava, C.
Abstract Morocco is considered a water-independent country by the World Bank, yet due to its topographical diversity, considerable land surface, and challenges posed by climate change, it ranks among the most water-stressed countries on the globe. Marrakech, an oasis city in Morocco, thrived for centuries through the ingenious use of khettarat, a traditional system of underground wells and channels that tapped into local aquifers and made use of topography and gravity to sustainably deliver water to the city. Until the early 1990s, Marrakech could still meet all its drinking water demand with the use of khettarat. Owing to a combination of institutional, political and economic factors, the khettarat system went into sharp decline starting in the 1980s and was at risk of disappearing both as a form of heritage and as an Indigenous technology. Recent efforts by multiple stakeholders aim to safeguard and re-introduce khetterat. They demonstrate the importance of local socio-technical systems in ensuring equitable and sustainable development in Morocco and similar arid regions around the world. - Middle Eastern Studies
Subject(s) Water heritage; Indigenous technology; Morocco; Sustainability
Language en
Type of publication Article / Letter to editor; info:eu-repo/semantics/article; Text
Source Blue Papers
Identifier doi:10.58981/bluepapers.2024.1.17; lucris-id:1304876690
Repository Leiden - University of Leiden
Added to C-A: 2024-09-09;09:29:23