Perspectives of desalination of brackish water for valorisation in arid regions of Morocco Original Research Article

Most parts of Morocco are arid where water resources are becoming more and more threatened due to shortage problems. According to the Moroccan Superior Council of Water and Climate (2000), the national strategy for water management policies focuses on three main priorities: (1) continuing water resource mobilisation programs, (2) applying economy of water consumption measures and (3) developing management and use of non-conventional water resources (such as brackish water and wastewater). The use of non-conventional waters such as brackish or low-quality groundwater could be considered to overcome the water scarcity problem in Morocco, especially in interior regions. Rational management and reuse of these kinds of water resources could constitute a great challenge for arid areas (such as Morocco) to improve water balance. The poor quality of these water resources is generally considered as a great obstacle to their use for drinking or for irrigation. Utilisation of an appropriate desalination approach adapted to our socioeconomic conditions could make use of low-quality waters that are quantitatively very important in our region.