Groundwater Basin Governance in Ibb City: A Proposed Strategy Informed by the Moroccan Experience

Abstract

This study aims to construct an applied framework for the governance of groundwater basins in the city of Ibb (Republic of Yemen) to enhance sustainable water security, drawing lessons and insights from the pioneering Moroccan experience and selected comparative Arab models. The study adopted a descriptive, analytical, and comparative methodology, relying on official data issued by international organizations and local records for the period 2019–2024. The results indicate that the primary challenge of the water crisis in Ibb lies in quantity limitations, distribution mechanisms, and governance efficiency rather than water quality. The crisis is manifested in acute scarcity, with per capita share dropping to approximately 23.7 liters/day (about 8.7 m³/year, high water loss rates reaching 24.7%, and a lack of equity in service coverage, as 43% of the population falls outside official networks and 68% of the city area lacks services. On the benchmarking front, the Moroccan experience highlighted institutional success in adopting basin governance mechanisms, namely basin agencies, participatory basin councils, and management contracts. In contrast, the Algerian experience provided a warning indicator regarding the risks of relying on expanding water supply in isolation from demand management, while the Jordanian model offered best practices in water reuse (at 90%) and desalination. The study concludes that adopting a participatory basin governance model is the optimal choice for dealing with an environment characterized by weak central institutions. The Moroccan experience can be localized and adapted locally through: establishing a participatory basin council, founding a local water fund based on self-financing through nominal consumption fees, drafting a consensual local charter, and activating community monitoring mechanisms. Finally, the study presents an integrated strategy comprising five main axes, supported by a time-bound roadmap and clear performance measurement indicators to monitor implementation.