The Bouregreg Watershed Water Vulnerability Assessment (Morocco), in the face of Climate change

Abstract

The hydrological regime of all the basins is characterized by a great inter-annual variability marked by the alternation of wet and dry sequences, inter-bedded by years of strong hydraulicity or severe drought. Most watersheds have water deficits. This situation is likely to deteriorate as a result of climate change and the worsening of extreme events, in particular the significant reduction in rainfall and widespread drought. the threat of drought still hangs over the country like the periods 1980-1985, 1990-1995, 1998-2002, 2011-2012 and 2015-2016 (year of severe drought during the last 30 years), and during which the almost all watersheds have been in a water deficit situation leading to the overexploitation of groundwater . The present work aims to describe the meteorological conditions of the Bouregreg watershed, in order to answer the problematic dealing with the effect of the climatic fluctuations on the water resources, the assessment of the potential impacts of climate change on hydrology and assess vulnerability in order to identify the current impacts and threats and identify strategies, policies and actions to address climate variability and change and reduce the impacts and future vulnerability of these changes. The work done is likely to further contribute to research on water management, in order to enrich and exploit water information systems and assist decision-makers in the development of the master plan for integrated water resources management of basin (IWRM), and also in the direct contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals ("2.Food Security", "6.Water Resources" and 13.Fighting Climate Change".