JOUDOUR SAHARA’S WATER RESERVOIR!
In the beginning there was a piece of land close to the small village of Zaouia, M’hamid El Ghizlane. Due to desertification, sand was slowly taking over this beautiful site with its majestic palm trees. This land lay dormant, waiting. In October 2016 Sahara-Roots agreed with our local partner Halim Sbai, (https://mhamid.guide/en/) to start planting trees with the help of the Groasis Waterboxx’s (www.groasis.com) on this site. By implementing this activity, it has now helped us gain experience to be able to adapt similar permaculture and tree planting methods to the other plots of land, owned by local farmers, currently overrun by sand dunes.
As this plot of land became more greener the need for “sustainable water use” was now a burning question. How can we provide the necessary water needed for this green gateway to the Sahara without using the groundwater which is now in danger? We wanted to find a way to help reduce the use of ground water for our planting activities. What we needed was a water reservoir!
September 2021 marked the beginning of the construction of the innovative water reservoir designed by Aziza Chaouni Projects (www.azizachaouniprojects.com) and this is the first building of a much larger sustainable project: Joudour Sahara which in the future will consist of botanical gardens, a music school supported by Playing For Change Foundation (www.playingforchange.org) an auditorium, a visitor’s center and an eco-lodge (www.joudoursahara.org ). The water reservoir will be a state-of-the-art facility comprising of a stone vault to hold water underground, and an above ground area covered by a clay roof, the reservoir utilizes natural elements to create a cool space to gather during the hot summer months.
