Zagora in Morocco is a town at the crossroads of desert winds and the challenges imposed by climate change.
Once a port of call for commercial caravans crossing the Sahara, today the oasis town faces a new and pressing reality: the impact of climate change on its fragile ecosystem. Located at the gateway to the desert, Zagora, a town of over 30,000 inhabitants, lies almost 700 km from Rabat, beyond the Atlas mountains.
The watermelon of thirst
This region is the theater of disconcerting scenes that poignantly relate climate change and its effects. Water scarcity manifests itself in tangible ways, marked by waves of thirst protests that shook the local community in 2017 and 2018. Notably, anthropogenic causes such as watermelon farming are emerging as a major cause of disruption, contributing to the deterioration of water tables.
Successive waves of drought then amplified the challenges already present. The verdant oases, once considered the lifeblood of Zagora by providing the essential water and agricultural resources, now face unprecedented obstacles. Rising temperatures, unpredictable rainfall patterns and the growing threat of desertification are jeopardizing the delicate balance between man and his environment. It’s a gripping tale that highlights the vulnerability of life in this region in the face of a relentless climate crisis, exacerbated by inappropriate agricultural practices.
In M’hamid, Oases disappear
Located south of the Atlas Mountains, the Draâ basin stretches for some 1,200 km, between the peaks of the limestone High Atlas, which rise to over 4,000 meters, and the mouth of the wadi at the Atlantic Ocean. The riverbed, made up of a series of palm groves less than 5 km wide (Mezguita, Tinzouline, Ternata, Fezouata, Ktaoua and M’hamid), is the central area where human activities and housing are concentrated.
We begin our journey towards M’hamid El Ghizlane, accompanied by members of the association Les Amis de l’environnement de Zagora (AEZ), who tell us that this region was once one of the most opulent in terms of palm trees. However, it has suffered the devastating consequences of waves of drought, accentuated by projects that have also precipitated climate change. The ravages of these phenomena are now palpable, testifying to a rapid and damaging transformation of this once thriving region.
“If we had enough rain and the climate became milder, if water flowed regularly into the Mansour Eddahbi dam, then this region could meet the food security needs of the entire Zagora region”, explains Mohamed Rizkou, President of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH) in Zagora.
He adds: “The Ktaoua oases are one of the largest oases between the two poles of Fazouata and Mhamid. It’s a fertile territory, adorned with palm trees, and represents the region’s primary source of dates and cereals”.
Unfortunately, in recent years, the region has suffered severe damage caused by drought and the ravages of the sun. “The consequences are still being felt today, accentuated by the impact of climate change and continuous periods of drought, which have forced the population to migrate, seeking better living conditions in different areas of the city of Zagora. This migration has contributed to the creation of one of the poorest and most marginalized populations”, says Rizkou, President of AMDH Zagora.
All along the 98 kilometers of road between Zagora and Mhamid El Ghizlane, the visible impacts of climate change are evident in the region. The arid lands bear witness to these changes, with only a few trees renowned for their adaptation to the local climate. However, the closer you get to the oases, the more striking the reality becomes: most of them are dried out, dead, devoid of water.
The consequences are still being felt today, accentuated by the impact of climate change and continuous periods of drought, which have forced the population to migrate.
The land now resembles the remnants of a bygone vitality, reminiscent of a once-thriving ecosystem. The once verdant trees have given way to a relentless drought. Remarkably, there are hardly any farmers to be seen along this route, a further sign of the challenges posed by climate change.
“The inhabitants no longer depend on these oases; nobody can rely on the palm trees for their livelihood. No more water inevitably means the disappearance of life in the oases, and consequently an absence of population in this region,” explains Si Mohamed, an old man aged over 80, with a note of sadness in his voice.
He adds: “In the past, these oases were the lifeblood of M’hamid. Today, we are faced with a water shortage, which has greatly affected our way of life. Few people work in this industry anymore. Those who survive today are those who have a family member working elsewhere to support them. In other words, no-one can rely on the oases for their livelihood any more”.
No more water inevitably means the disappearance of life in the oases, and consequently an absence of population in this region
Si Mohamed, resident of the M’hamid region.
“One day, we say our goodbyes. The children show their refusal to stay here, and I imagine that we’ll join them one day to go and live somewhere else. We don’t really have a choice anyway,” he concludes, ending our conversation on the sad realization of an imminent departure from their land.
A Hirak of thirst
In 2017, the Zagora region was the scene of what came to be known as the “thirst demonstrations”, where residents protested on a regular basis against incessant water cuts.
“Living without water is hell”, recalls Rizkou, president of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH) in Zagora.
He adds: “It was one of the most difficult moments for the inhabitants of this region, a daily suffering added to an already unbearable life in an already marginalized region, exacerbated by the water crisis”.
“To make our voices heard, we organized several peaceful demonstrations, initially tolerated by the authorities. However, these demonstrations were later repressed by the forces of law and order, who intervened to disperse a march and arrested several people, prosecuted for ‘participation in an unauthorized demonstration”, adds the AMDH representative.
“This Hirak was one of the means of protesting against the living conditions of the population in the southeast and was one of the first indicators of the impacts of climate change in this region. It was a delicate period for the region and the Zagora activists”.
To make our voices heard, we organized several peaceful demonstrations, initially tolerated by the authorities. However, these demonstrations were later repressed
Rizkou, president of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH) in Zagora.
“Time has passed, but we can see more and more the damage of these projects that have destroyed this region, particularly this watermelon farming that was the source of this water shortage”, he concludes.
Although thirsty demonstrations are no longer the order of the day, in recent years we have witnessed several demonstrations in the region. In particular, farmers in the oases protested against watermelon farming, accused of destroying the water tables and negatively impacting the oases. During these demonstrations, farmers held up placards reading: “Watermelon is the enemy of oases”.
Thus, the social movements that have sprung up in this arid region are much more than an ordinary protest against climate change and the impacts of ill-considered agricultural policies; they sound a strident alarm bell, warning of the imminent peril lurking in the region.
This article was published in French on ENASS
- Read the article in French on the link
