WORLD
World Bank grants Morocco $180 million loan to tackle water crisis
![World Bank grants Morocco $180 million loan to tackle water crisis](/files/2022/1/1200x630/16484589155132654407_1200x630.jpg)
Baku, March 28, AZERTAC
The World Bank has approved a $180 million loan to help Morocco’s agriculture resilience amid a year of “historic drought, according to Morocco World News.
The statement continued to note that the North African country recorded less rainfall throughout the past year, and that this is resulting in reduced river flows and increased evaporation induced by extreme weather events, such as heatwaves.
“Agriculture is at the heart of Morocco’s economic and social ambitions and this project financing will support this vital sector, in alignment with the country’s Green Generations strategy, the National Water Plan, and the New Development Model,” said Jesko Hentschel, World Bank Country Director for the Maghreb and Malta.
The World Bank’s loan will help Moroccan water management through the Resilient and Sustainable Water in Agriculture (RESWAG) project.
The loan was approved a few days after a high-level World Bank delegation, including the bank’s president David Malpass, visited Morocco.
The project aims to enhance the governance of water in agriculture, namely by improving the quality of irrigation services and increasing access to advisory services for irrigation technologies, the bank said.