Editorial: A question of survival

The announcement on Monday, July 14, 2025 that OCP Green Water will be commissioning the Jorf Lasfar-Khouribga water pipeline represents much more than just a technological addition. It marks a fundamental turning point in water management in Morocco. 
More than 200 kilometers long, this pipeline is fed by a new desalination unit to serve Khouribga, enabling the transfer of a desalinated water capacity of 80 million m³ per year. This makes it the first project of its kind in Morocco to transfer desalinated water over such a long distance.
Once considered a simple natural resource, water is now becoming a strategic infrastructure, on a par with energy and food security. However, this pioneering model should not be the exception, as water stress does not only affect large industries or mining areas. It affects all regions. The success of a water strategy depends on clear priorities: what type of agriculture do we want to continue supporting? What kind of economic model is needed to make the most of water, without excluding anyone? What role should public participation play?  At a time of recurring heatwaves, depleting water tables and growing tensions over water management, the question is no longer one of “coping” with the crisis, but of questioning our modes of consumption, production and governance. We need to stop thinking that water is free, when in fact it is scarce, costly to produce and every time it is wasted, it takes its toll.
The future of water in Morocco will not be played out in desalination plants alone. It will also be built on agricultural policies, land-use planning, water-saving education and local innovation.
Water autonomy is no longer an option. It is a condition of sovereignty and survival.