A study indicates that the traditional organization and distribution of water in Figuig is among the “most complex” systems, adding that understanding this aspect “requires familiarity with all historical stages in which the water springs were utilized by the ruling families to organize them, as well as the distribution forms and methods of digging and constructing the water network. In the region’s oasis, the water distribution for irrigation adopts a more advanced and precise system than any found across North Africa.”
The study published in the latest issue of the “Urban and Regional Planning” journal, issued by the Arab Democratic Center and Al Hudaydah University, clarified that “the Figuig model relies on time measurement rather than volume, as is the case in Algeria,” noting that “water plays a significant role in the lives of the locals strategically; agriculture primarily depends on the water distribution network of each palace, with most of the used water being underground.”
The academic research conducted by researchers Abdel Khalek Ghazi and Nour Eddin Bouabid stated that this water “emanates from the earth through geological openings called springs,” recording that “the sources are exploited with precision using a technique called ‘el-Fajra’ or ‘el-Fakkara’.” They added, “The groundwater reservoir system in the oasis consists of layers of groundwater and springs. The groundwater represents a renewable resource with a total volume of approximately 13 million cubic meters per year across the entire basin that extends over an area of 2,778 kilometers.”
They also pointed out that “the ‘el-Khattarat’ are of utmost importance in the region’s oasis, having been utilized by humans since ancient times. They represent a unique engineering feat that reveals a significant strategy for organizing and distributing water as the most vital resource in desert areas.” They continued, “Water rights and exploitation are carefully managed. The number of ‘el-Khattarat’ in the oasis reaches 32; some have experienced neglect or overuse due to mismanagement.”
The study titled “The Timeless Reality of Irrigation Water Uses through el-Khattarat and channels in Figuig Oasis, Morocco” observed that the history of digging one of the ‘el-Khattarat’ dates back “over 300 years due to the vast lands it irrigates and the complex distribution among landowners, reaching up to 1,920 distributions across four channels.” It pointed out that “the spring’s flow decreased to about 20 liters per second after reaching 88 liters per second in 1987 due to irrational and increasing exploitation in 2006, when the number of pumps reached around 300.”
It highlighted that “the ‘el-Khattarat’ were dug and built over different periods according to human needs for increased water for irrigation. This process took decades of hard and continuous labor, relying solely on physical effort and primitive means limited to shovels and palm fronds to transport the earth to the surface through openings,” noting that “this occurs within semi-dark tunnels ranging from 6 to 10 meters in depth and 0.5 to 1.5 meters in width.”
As for the concept of channels, the study elaborates that it “was introduced to limit the disputes historically known among the locals, as well as to organize irrigation and control the flow of water springs,” highlighting that “this flow has noticeably declined in recent decades marked by drought years and climate changes,” before adding that “the oasis features a unique system in water distribution that is more detailed.”
The researchers explained that “this is achieved through a more detailed water distribution system using underground passages that drain and convey water from below to the surface, directing it towards the gardens for irrigation and other uses related to the population,” indicating that “the flowing water shares amount to 4.4 million cubic meters from the groundwater levels in Figuig, 3.6 million cubic meters from groundwater levels in the Tasrafine-Al Arja region, considered extensions of Figuig Oasis, and 11.5 million cubic meters from deep groundwater layers in the basin.”
They added that “the drainage and transportation of groundwater occurs through sources via underground corridors directly carved into the rock, known as ‘el-Khattarat’,” explaining that “this technique adopted in the oasis to provide water is a result of a developmental process, where numerous human efforts over centuries have introduced improvements to the overall structure of the traditional irrigation system, relying on cement for the construction of channels and sluices to prevent water seepage and protect it from evaporation.”
On the surface and in gardens, the study indicates the spread of “water carried by these corridors in sluice channels,” adding that “the water can be used in real-time as it flows from display areas for irrigating cultivated lands or otherwise, which is one of the main assets of the irrigation system in Figuig Oasis, where it is transported and stored in storage basins (cisterns), allowing for late irrigation of cultivated areas and more flexible subsequent water distribution.”
