ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT: The High and Middle Draa basins are located in the South-East of Morocco, an area which is characterized by an arid climate. The Draa basin belongs to the 10 most arid catchments of the world. The context of the climate of the study area depends primarily on the rainfall as a principal source of the inputs to the rivers and aquifer. The mode of rainfall was studied from four upstream stations. In this study, we used several statistical methods which showed a relative homogeneity for the majority of the monitoring stations data. The mode of groundwater recharge in the Draa basin differs on both sides from the Mansour Eddahbi dam. In the High Draa, the recharge stems directly by precipitation and snow-melt. For the Middle Draa, the recharge is conditioned by the management of the reservoir dam which fluctuates according to the hydraulicity of the years. The precariousness of the water resources in the Draa basin represents clearly the main limitation for the development of this region. Under the given conditions, future changes of the climate or of the water uses will have a strong impact on groundwater availability and quality.
