Morocco to spend $900m for water management projects

Morocco plans to spend close to $900m per year on funding 122 projects as part of its 2005-2014 plan to develop the nation's water and forest sector, according to water and forests high commissioner Abdeladim El Hafi. The projects are part of a government programme to combat desertification to alleviate pressures on agricultural output from a growing population and to achieve sustainable development of natural resources. The commissioner noted that the degradation of natural resources costs around 3 billion dirhams and damages the ecosystem. Other programmes involved protection of forests, management of draining basins and protected areas, and fighting forest fires. See Magharebia website for full information.