Tlout: Revival and hope
The ancient water resource management system in Morocco has survived to this day because of its inherent sustainability. The khettara system works not only without disrupting the natural replenishment cycle of the groundwater but also works precisely because of it. One study showed that in Tafilalet oasis, the downsizing in date palm was in tandem with the decrease in the groundwater table thickness. While other agriculture has witnessed a boom in Morocco, date palm trees have significantly dropped in numbers. The presence of these trees is seen as a proxy for the health of the oasis it grows in. Surface water in Morocco is fed by the mountains. As the temperatures rose and rainfall decreased over the years, the surface water reduced. This has led to an increasing reliance on the groundwater supply for these date palm plantations. The soils in oases like the Tafilalet are increasingly salinized due to high evaporation rates. This makes date palm one of the few plants capable of gr...
