Re-connecting with water

Abstract

It is widely known that by 2050 the average temperature is going to increase by 2-3 °C while the precipitation is going to decrease 10-20 % in the North African region. The countries in this area have always been experiencing drought periods but due to the climatic changes, but, these periods are becoming more extreme leaving the population vulnerable. The inhabitants of Morocco have always lived in dry circumstances and for centuries created great water management systems to guide fresh water to the areas that needed it the most. Unfortunately, these systems cannot keep up with the rapid development of the country and even though the government is working on providing fresh water to the population, most of the inhabitants living in the rural areas do not receive the basic services, which leads to socioeconomic issues in these areas. The people in the rural villages do not have access to suitable quality and quantity fresh water, which causes health related problems amongst them. The traditional water systems that are still in use in the rural areas are not maintained properly, highly contaminated and polluted by the people as they do not have a good understanding on how these interventions work. The once respected water management elements and the riverside is neglected and the connection between the people and the water is getting lost. The graduation project aims to tackle the water related issues the rural communities experiencing today and in the future from a landscape architecture point of view of working with the spatial endowments and possibilities in the terrain. Apart for water scarcity the thesis focuses on the social issues in the disadvantaged communities by involving, educating and empowering the community in the development project to become self-sufficient and non-dependent on the government. The project works on three scales. The program starts in a middle school that acts as a testing ground for the larger developments. The findings are implemented into the development plan of the village, Adassil, located in the Atlas Mountains. Finally a zoning and recommendation are created for settlements along the Assif El Mal River for similar developments.