For First Time in History, One of Morocco's Largest Rivers Dries up

The waters of the Moulouya River, one of Morocco's largest constantly flowing rivers, have dried up to such an extent that it is unable to reach its mouth in the Mediterranean, "for the first time in its history," according to the environmental expert, Mohamed Ben Atta.

The reasons for this "tragic phenomenon" are due to the decline of the river's resources due to the excessive consumption of its water and devastating consequences of climate change, as the expert explains, while he was taking pictures of the estuary near the tourist city of Saidia in the north-east of the Kingdom of Morocco near the border with Algeria.

The harshness of drought and climatic change upended the balance of nature in this agricultural region, as the salty sea water invaded the course of the river "for 15 kilometers", forcing farmers on its banks to abandon cultivating their lands, due to the salinity of the water and its effect on the soil.

In one of those farms on the left bank of the river, the watermelons look pale yellow and distorted in shape with dry stems "even pigs loath," says a farm owner in the area, Ahmed Hadiwi, sighs.

Morocco, where agriculture is the main sector of its economy, has suffered from successive droughts in recent years.

Experts warn that the matter will worsen in 2050 due to a decrease in rainfall (-11 percent) and an increase in temperatures (+1,3  Celsius degrees), according to a report by the Ministry of Agriculture.

And the Ministry of  Moroccan Agriculture's forecasts indicates that drought will lead to a decline in irrigation water stocks by 2050, "to a level that may reach 25 percent" at the national level.