1. Model Simulation in steady and transient states
Fight against the effects of climate change through the joint use of surface water and groundwater resources through artificial recharge (Rainwater & Waste water): Triffa plain, Oriental Region
MIMOUN, BOUGHRIBA: Laboratory of Mineral Deposits, Hydrogeology & Environment, Faculty of Sciences, University Mohammed I, Bd. Mohammed VI, B.P: 717, Oujda, Morocco, Abdelhakim, Jilali, Ministry of Energy, Mines, Water and Environment, Direction of Geology, Rabat, Morocco.
Objectif 1: Quantification of Climat change on water ressources using a numerical model
Model Simulation in steady and transient states
Steady state
Transit state
Study area and boundary conditions
Northeast Morocco, at the border with Algeria;
Triffa plain with about 750 km2;
The Triffa unconfined aquifer is exploited for irrigation purposes;
Concentration of too many pumping wells in one location;
Excessive abstraction of water not really needed for the irrigation of crops.
Simplified geological map. Red line is a cross section
Cross section
Verification Process
Numerical Model
Climate change simulation after Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change (IPCC)
Stresses induced by climate change and inculded in the numerical model simulations
The influence of climate changes in the goundwater level due to:
Changes in precipitation and temperature
Overexploitation and Recurrent drought
Decrease Recharge
Aquifer’s Water quality degradation
Hydro-agricultural development and drinking water supply threatened
Very significant drawdown of the piezometric levels exceeding 10 m.
The quantity of dry cells increased in the north and west of the study area.
The farmers will need to dig deeper wells, seeking water in the second aquifer layer.
This will ultimately translate into an increase in the costs of agricultural production.
Objectif 2: Need of optimum management to protect water resources
Estimation of contamination degree
The next stage of this project is to use the SDSM: GCMs-RCMS model
Many previous and recent study show the degree of groundwater contamination in Triffa aquifer
Global quality using 5 parameters: EC, NO3-, Cl-, NH4+ and FC
NO3- (mg/l)
Managed Aquifer recharge is one of the way to resolve this situation ( we can use the wastewaters and runoff water),
Reduce the number of pumping wells concentered in one location to one or two wells,
Etc.