Climate change threatens centuries-old oasis in Morocco

November is usually a cold, wet month in Alnif, but when the rain failed to come, the king called for rain prayers across the country, an old Islamic tradition during desperately dry times.(AP)
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  • Palm groves that date back more than 100 years are barren
  • The oasis is 鈥渢hreatened with extinction鈥�

ALNIF: Residents of the oasis of Alnif say they can鈥檛 remember a drought this bad: The land is dry. Some wells are empty. Palm groves that date back more than 100 years are barren.
Home to centuries-old oases that have been a trademark of Morocco, this region about 170 miles southeast of Marrakesh is reeling from the effects of climate change, which has created an emergency for the kingdom鈥檚 agriculture.
Among those affected is Hammou Ben Ady, a nomad in the Tinghir region who leads his flock of sheep and goats in search of grazing grass. The drought forced him to rely on government handouts of fodder.
November is usually a cold, wet month in Alnif, but when the rain failed to come, the king called for rain prayers across the country, an old Islamic tradition during desperately dry times.
Children led the procession, holding wooden planks inscribed with Qur鈥檃nic verses, followed by local officials and residents. They gathered near a dead oasis as a religious leader declared that the drought was a man-made disaster and that the rains will come when people atone for their sins and the way they have 鈥渢reated the planet.鈥�
Resident Mo鈥檆hi Ahmad said the oasis has provided a livelihood for this population for hundreds of years. Now the oasis is 鈥渢hreatened with extinction,鈥� and everyone notices the disappearing palm trees.
In the last three years, hundreds of people from oasis areas have fled toward cities and many young people have migrated toward Europe, mainly because of the drought, said Mohamed Bozama, another resident.
He also blames the digging of unauthorized wells and rising demand for water from existing wells for worsening the crisis.
But for Hassan Bouazza, some of the solution lies in the hands of the people of the Alnif region. He was the first to install solar panels on the region鈥檚 ksar, or castle, and began relying on the energy produced to dig wells and irrigate his fellow farmers鈥� lands.
鈥淲e must learn to live with the situation we鈥檙e in and think about ways to make the heat and drought work to our advantage,鈥� such as using new irrigation systems and solar power, he said.
He called for oasis inhabitants to be provided with training to help them move away from traditional irrigation in favor of drip irrigation, which requires significantly less water.
But sometimes, Bouazza said, it鈥檚 hard not to despair when climate warnings are ignored.
鈥淚t is like a little child holds a dying bird in his hand, and all he does is laugh. This is how we are treating Mother Earth.鈥�