Sharjah24 – AFP: Moroccan environmentalist Mohamed Benata stood taking photos of what should be the mouth of the Moulouya river -- but after years of drought and over-pumping, it comes to a halt just short of the sea.
One of the longest rivers in the North African kingdom and a vital lifeline for farmers in the area near the Algerian border, the final few paces of the 500-kilometre (310-mile) waterway are now separated from the Mediterranean by a sandbar.
And as the fresh water of the river recedes, salty seawater is creeping up the groundwaters around the riverbed, spelling ruin for farmers as much as 15 kilometres inland.
Seawater can hold up to 35 grammes of salt per litre, while freshwater usually has less than half a gramme -- but the brackish riverwater here contains as much as seven grammes.
The agriculture ministry forecasts worsening drought across Morocco in coming decades, with precipitation falling 11 percent and average temperatures rising 1.3 degrees Celsius by 2050.
That could cause stocks of water for irrigation to reduce by a quarter, it said in a study.
But for many of the Moulouya basin's farmers, the crisis is already here.
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