The Sebou Water Basin Agency has announced the organization of awareness days to reduce water pollution caused by olive mill wastewater, coinciding with the start of the olive pressing season for 2024-2025. This initiative comes as part of the agency’s strategy to raise awareness about the importance of rationalizing water resource usage, preserving them, and protecting them from pollution.
The campaign will launch on Tuesday, October 22, 2024, at the level of Sefrou Province, and will cover most of the provinces in the Sebou basin affected by this issue. This step comes in light of the worsening problem of water pollution by olive mill wastewater due to the increasing number of pressing units and the random disposal of their waste, which causes deterioration in the quality of surface and groundwater, streams, and dams.
The awareness days program will include extensive meetings at the level of provinces and districts in regions known for olive oil production such as Sefrou, Taounate, Sidi Kacem, and Taza. The campaign will also include monitoring efforts by the water police and local authorities to apprehend violators in accordance with Law 15-36, as well as the distribution of awareness publications and posters.
In conclusion, the agency called on all concerned parties, especially olive mill owners, to comply with the applicable environmental laws and standards, and to refrain from randomly dumping olive pressing waste into waterways and groundwater aquifers. This is to preserve water resources and protect them from pollution within the framework of sustainable development for the olive oil production sector.