Rabat – French-German culture channel ARTE TV will broadcast a new documentary called “Maroc, les maîtres de l’eau du Tafilalet”, showcasing the oasis of the Tafilalet Valley, Morocco.
The documentary, which will be broadcast on April 25, focuses on the challenges the oasis faces, such as the decline in water resources, soil deterioration, and rural exodus due to drought and climate change.
The program (Morocco, the water masters of Tafilalet in English) also shows the various restoration projects that the locals have been working on with the help of a team of specialists.
“They are restoring the khettara, underground galleries that capture rainwater and groundwater, and are modernizing their beekeeping or livestock techniques,” said the documentary synopsis.
Khettara is a traditional irrigation system linked by underground canals for the purpose of transporting water to the locals’ farming fields.
Local women also participated in the restoration projects. The documentary “is also an opportunity to rethink the role of women in Moroccan society”, added the synopsis.
The French Embassy in Morocco invited internet users to watch the documentary on its official Twitter account, on Thursday, April 14.
In eastern Morocco, at the foot of the Atlas Mountain, the Tafilalet Valley is home to one of the largest oases in the world, with an area of 77,000 square kilometers.
Tafilalet oasis is one of the ecosystems that climate change has impacted, resulting in decreased agriculture yields, poverty, and degradation of natural resources.
The area of palm groves in Morocco has drastically shrunk in recent decades due to drought.
Morocco’s government has set a number of measures to preserve the country’s oasis ecosystem.
The documentary, which was directed by Guy Beauche in 2021, is the first of a series that the ARTE channel devotes to oases.
The documentary is already available on the channel’s website, but the streaming is currently region-restricted.
Read also: Morocco Invests $10.7 Billion on Oasis and Argan Zones
