BACKGROUND
	PROJECT OBJECTIVES
	CURRENT STATUS
	PHOTOS

Morocco stands at a critical juncture in its development. The country has made great strides over the last 30 years in liberalizing its economy, granting greater political freedom to its citizens, and improving basic public health. At the same time, however, burgeoning cities and continued dependence on water-intensive agriculture have depleted and polluted the country's scarce water resources, leading to an array of new development problems. Poor water quality is stymieing public health gains of the past, while basic ecosystem functions are increasingly coming under stress because of inadequate water supply and poor water quality. Many experts now predict that unless Morocco adopts a new water management regime, one based on an integrated and decentralized approach, the country faces years of water shortages that will undermine its ability to achieve its full development potential. In the Souss-Massa basin, where agriculture uses 90 percent of the available water supply, the need to seek improved water management regimes is imperative. Against this backdrop, USAID's Souss-Massa Integrated Water Management (SIWM) Project is critically important for the country's economic well-being, public health, and environmental integrity. Development Alternatives, Inc. (DAI), in association with its partners on the Integrated Water and Coastal Resources Management Indefinite Quantity Contract (Water IQC), is pleased to submit this proposal to work with USAID and its Moroccan counterparts to assist the country in achieving the sustainable and optimal utilization of its water resources.

Through SIWM, we look forward to introducing innovative and stakeholder-driven policies, institutions, and technologies that can assist the Souss-Massa basin in entering a new water economy. We believe that this new economy must be characterized by higher and more equitable returns from water use through the introduction of technical and institutional mechanisms that promote water-use efficiency, conservation, reuse, and protection. Our team is exceptionally well positioned to assist in achieving these objectives. As a result, Development Alternatives, Inc. (DAI) has been contracted by USAID to direct a technical assistance team in the implementation of the SIWM project. SIWM is the major element of USAID/Morocco's Results package for Strategic Objective 6 (or SO6: Improved water resources management in the Souss-Massa river basin). DAI will work with national, regional, local and private sector partners in the Souss-Massa region. These partners will cooperate with DAI on water planning, distribution, allocation, and quality management leading to the establishment of the Souss-Massa River Basin Authority (RBA). DAI will provide technical assistance in areas such as institutional development, irrigation efficiency, wastewater treatment and reuse, potable water, pollution prevention, and coastal zone management, depending on priorities determined by the RBA.