UN Prediction of Systemic Water Bankruptcy Threatening North Africa
A recent UN report has warned that the North African region, including Morocco, is entering a phase described as “systemic water bankruptcy,” as water resource conditions exceed temporary stress and lead to structural failure in water systems.
The report, titled “Global Water Bankruptcy,” issued by the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment, and Health, categorized North Africa among the most affected regions globally, placing it in the “extremely high water risk” category, the highest globally, which combines water scarcity, deteriorating quality, and weak governance.
Risk maps and accompanying scientific data in the 72-page report confirmed that Morocco falls within areas marked in dark red, reflecting extremely high levels of water insecurity. It has also been classified as critically endangered according to overall water risk indicators.
Regarding global water security, the report highlighted that nearly three-quarters of the world’s population lives in water-insecure or critically insecure countries, with African nations leading this list, including Morocco.
The United Nations University emphasized what it termed “comprehensive water risks,” classifying Morocco and North Africa within the highest tier of total water risk indicators, reflecting increasing vulnerability in water resource balance.
In explaining the causes of the crisis, the report suggested that the Mediterranean region and North Africa exemplify what is called “human-induced drought,” resulting from human factors such as mismanagement, over-exploitation, and climate change overshadowing natural fluctuations, transforming drought from a temporary phenomenon to a new normal.
The same source pointed out the accelerating depletion of groundwater reserves, noting that about 40 percent of crops in southern countries, including Morocco, depend on groundwater being exploited faster than it can be replenished, linking food security to nearly bankrupt water reserves.
The report recorded extensive loss of wetlands across Africa, which play a vital role in absorbing water shocks, explaining that the world has lost an area equivalent to the size of the European Union in these ecosystems over the last fifty years, a loss contributing to the increased frequency of dust and sand storms in the region.
On the recommendations front, the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment, and Health urged a shift from a “crisis management” approach to “bankruptcy management,” calling for the abandonment of temporary emergency solutions, such as random well drilling, and recognizing the irreversible loss of certain water resources.
The report stressed the necessity of considering water justice, indicating that the costs of water bankruptcy disproportionately burden vulnerable groups, particularly small farmers and rural residents, necessitating compensation policies and social protection.
Conversely, the report posited that the water issue presents a strategic opportunity for Morocco and North African countries to reactivate regional and international cooperation and mobilize climate financing aimed at enhancing water security.
The source warned of serious social and economic repercussions, highlighting that approximately three billion people live in areas where overall water storage is declining, with a large portion located in Africa, where agriculture accounts for 25 to 60 percent of jobs, making water bankruptcy a direct driver of poverty and unemployment.
The report concluded that water scarcity and drought, as seen in several African countries, have caused the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people, considering that water bankruptcy is no longer merely an environmental issue but has become a matter of national security and political stability.
