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Management of Water and Wastewater in Morocco and Arab Countries

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Wastewater Management and Technologies

Part of the book series: Water and Wastewater Management ((WWWE))

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Abstract

Morocco and Arab countries are located in a very large geographic surface area covering 12.7 million km2 of arid and semi-arid lands dispersed in North Africa and Middle East, with population exceeding 414 million inhabitants. Precipitations range from 150 to 600 mm per year, and the ratio of water is varying from 172 m3/cap⋅year to 1278 m3/capyear. These figures make some countries in situation of scarcity. Some resources are native in certain countries, while some countries are depending on their neighbors. The water scarcity is also aggravated by the level of pollution that reduces its eventual usage. To cope with water scarcity, tendency toward treated wastewater is increasing in most of Arab countries. In 2013, the amount of treated wastewater produced in Arab countries was estimated at 10.9 BCM (billion m3), 50% of which being used for different purposes. Oil-rich countries have relied mainly on desalinization of seawater and brackish water for producing freshwater. Wastewater reuses vary within Arab countries, Jordan and Abu Dhabi who stand to be the leaders in this issue with 100% of the available/collected wastewater used. The level of the treatment and reuse depends on the existing sanitation infrastructure. The estimated irrigated area with wastewater or polluted water fells between 4 and 6 million ha. Most of the technologies applied in Arabic world for wastewater treatment are based on primary, secondary, and tertiary processes. The choice of the technology is based on the availability of lands, financial budget, and the technical capacities for maintenance. Usage of wastewater is also facing lack of non-sufficient legislation to meet safe usage.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Agronomy and Veterinary Institute, Rabat, Morocco

    Abdelmalek Dahchour

  2. Faculty of Science, Mohammed V University in Rabat, CERNE2D, Rabat, Morocco

    Souad El Hajjaji

Authors
  1. Abdelmalek Dahchour
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  2. Souad El Hajjaji
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Abdelmalek Dahchour .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Environ. Engineering, Davutpasa Campus, Yıldız Technical University, Esenler, Istanbul, Türkiye

    Eyüp Debik

  2. Institute for Ecological and Sustainable Chemistry, TU Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Niedersachsen, Germany

    Müfit Bahadir

  3. Exceed Excellence Centre, Leichtweiß Institute for Hydroengineeri, Braunschweig, Germany

    Andreas Haarstrick

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Dahchour, A., El Hajjaji, S. (2023). Management of Water and Wastewater in Morocco and Arab Countries. In: Debik, E., Bahadir, M., Haarstrick, A. (eds) Wastewater Management and Technologies. Water and Wastewater Management. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-36298-9_14

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