Review for building knowledge database and consensus report on recommendation on wlaw

3.7Perspectives for agricultural water management

In order to maintain realistic goals for a sustainable water management in Lebanon, technological and socio-economic aspect of modern irrigation in public and private irrigation schemes should be faced in order to (i) enhance the use of modern irrigation technologies at on-farm level and (ii) to promote a water pricing system aiming the increase of economic water use of the limited water resources. Both management phases will include actions to be taken at Water Services level (managers’ decision support) and at on-farm level (farmer’s decision support). One of the innovative aspects of this action plan is interfacing managers and farmers through a combination of advice and incentives. The plan also should be based on the interaction between the Farmer Water Need and the Services Allocation that requires an innovative cycle of analysis for the determination of the best feasible water allocation, which requires expertise in the technology and management of irrigation system. On the other hand, farmer response to financial and non-financial incentives is an uncharted area of research, which needs exploring to improve effectively water use efficiency through consensus and participation.

The formulation of the 10-year plan (2000-2009) of water resources development tends to provide proper, sustainable, and comprehensive water management in Lebanon. Evidently the largest share was allocated to procuring additional water resource. It is noteworthy that nearly two-thirds of the budget is allocated towards the procurement of additional water resources (i.e. supply-side measures). Such infrastructure investments aimed alleviating water shortages by increasing water supplies is potentially an economic as well as an ecologic burden on society. Concurrent efforts should be committed to improving water efficiency (water metering, lifting illegal connections, introducing on-farm practices for the efficient use of irrigation water), and securing alternative water resources, such as treated wastewater. Moreover, the geologic formations often preclude the feasibility of constructing conventional dams in Lebanon. This will help in increasing water storage capacity to face the projected water shortages in the near future. Moreover, adequacy of the legal framework will undoubtedly contribute to improve the performance of the water sector. However, a clear accepted understanding of the operational partnership among the main actors in water sector, namely the Ministry of Energy and Water, the four regional water authorities, the Litani River Authority, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Environment, to not forget also the private actors, has to be an early step in the overall process of a long-term water management policy in Lebanon.

Reference

FAO/AQUASTAT/LEB. 2007.

4INTEGRATED WATER MANAGEMENT IN MOROCCO

In a context of water scarcity marked by the succession of several drought years adding to this quality degradation of available water resources, the water management in Morocco became more than ever a centerpiece in the general problematic of sustainable development and an important issue in the preservation of economical and social equilibrium of the country. This management and considering a number of constraints, knew a lot of evolutions during the twenty last years and notably regarding improvement of legislative and organizational aspects. Such evolution was particularly marked by the promulgation in 1995 of the 10/95 law on water and this in the objective to adapt the water management to the social and economical development of the country in order to confront the different challenges and future issues. It was equally question to grant the management and distribution of drinkable water in urban areas for some cities of the kingdom to international private organisms and this following the government policy about privatization in several sectors.

The economical and social environment inciting officials to give more importance to the water sector is marked by the major following events:

-The Drought became a structural phenomenon taking in consideration the succession of many drought cycles.

-Agriculture is the main economical activity of the country and the big consumer of water resources; it must know a deep mutation to be competitive within an international context Marked by the globalization.

-The current orientation of the country towards tourism (1 millions of tourists in 2010), a such strategy gives pressure on water resources and necessitates an additional infrastructure.

-The cumulative delay regarding liquid and solid sanitation weighs more and more on the environment quality in a general way and particularly on water resources.

-The floods frequency increased these 10 last years in relation with the climatic changes; the effects on economical and social infrastructure of the country were not negligible.