October 05, 2017 - 12:53 PM
MARRAKESH, Morocco - The Moroccan government has set up a ministerial commission to elaborate a strategy ensuring the country's water security.
Prime Minister Saadeddine El Othmani said Thursday during a government meeting in Rabat "the issue of water is now a strategic issue for the government."
The commission, created at the request of Morocco's King Mohammed VI, will start working next week.
In recent months, residents of several villages in Morocco have organized demonstrations to protest against the difficulty of accessing drinking water, the delays experienced by some water supply projects or the poor quality of the water.
Droughts in Morocco also push rural populations toward the cities each year.
The Moroccan government has been involved for several years in the creation of dams, wastewater treatment plants and desalination plants.
News from © The Associated Press, 2017