“I invite us to think about how our public policies align to guarantee effective, integrated and coherent management of water resources, while contributing to the sustainable development of our countries,” said Mr. Baraka, who spoke during of a high-level panel organized as part of the program of the 10th World Water Forum, currently taking place in Bali.
In accordance with the enlightened vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Morocco is implementing integrated policies that promote sustainable water management, resilient agriculture in the face of climate change, increasingly clean energy production and equitable access to drinking water for all citizens, he said.
The minister cited, in this sense, the Dakhla seawater desalination station, which is entirely powered by a wind farm to produce water at an affordable price.
The lack of coherence in sectoral policies can cause discrepancies in water resources development programs and projects and lead to harmful consequences such as waste of water resources and overexploitation of groundwater, argued Mr. Baraka.
This inconsistency also impacts food security, with agriculture and water being strongly linked, he added.
“When water and agricultural policies are not synchronized, inefficient water use and land degradation occur, which can worsen food insecurity especially in vulnerable regions,” the official said. .
Mr. Baraka indicated, in this sense, that the environmental impacts of the lack of coherence between water, food and energy policies can sometimes be irreversible.
“It is time to move from fragmentation to coherence and from isolation to collaboration,” he underlined during this panel held under the theme: “Climate-Water-Energy-Food-Ecology, a system systems”.
Panel participants highlighted the importance of a systems approach to water management and explored the synergies between water, energy, food security and long-term sustainable economic growth. .
Organized jointly by the World Water Council and the Indonesian government, the 10th edition of the World Water Forum is marked by the participation of around 30,000 participants from 172 countries.