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Quantifying and Predicting Irrigation Withdrawals in Traditional Canal Systems: A Case Study of the Tensift Basin, Morocco

IWRA World Water Congress 2025 Marrakech Morocco
Water Security and Water-Related Risks
Author(s): Abdessamad ZILALI and Moulay Driss Hasnaoui
Abdessamad ZILALI and Moulay Driss Hasnaoui
Mohammadia School of Engineers, Rabat, Morocco
Presentation date : 04-12-2025

Oral: PDF

Abstract

Context and Motivation

  • Tensift Basin in central Morocco: strong dependence on surface irrigation.
  • Agriculture relies on traditional seguias for water diversion.
  • Increasing pressure on water resources due to climate change and agricultural expansion.
  • Persistent issues: inefficient water allocation, upstream–downstream inequities, high conveyance losses.


Research Objectives

  • Overall aim: build a data-informed, reproducible framework to quantify withdrawals and predict irrigation requirements.
  • Evaluate irrigation withdrawals in Rhéraya, Ourika, R’dat and Zat sub-basins.
  • Analyze upstream–downstream interactions and spatial inequities in access.
  • Quantify statistical dependencies between withdrawals and river flows.