Salma Bougarrani Solution for Sanitation and Agriculture -

Salma Bougarrani Solution for Sanitation and Agriculture. In Morocco, majorly 14.6 million people in rural areas across 32,000 villages lack proper sanitation. Primarily, wastewater contaminates local water sources, endangering health and the environment. Moreover, water is also scarce, limiting both drinking and irrigation supplies.

Salma Bougarrani Solution for Sanitation and Agriculture

Additionally, “People in these communities often have water for only four hours a day,” says Salma Bougarrani, CEO of GREEN WATECH. “We urgently need unconventional resources to treat and reuse wastewater for irrigation, as agriculture uses 70-80% of available water.”

However, starting a water treatment company in rural areas, especially as a woman in civil engineering, posed a challenge for Salma. But her passion runs deep; she grew up visiting her father’s village, witnessing the harmful effects of untreated wastewater firsthand. Notwithstanding, motivated to make a difference, she earned her Ph.D. and worked extensively in water treatment. More so, a visit to a Japanese plant using passive natural processes inspired her. Subsequently, influenced her to adopt similar technology for Morocco.

Notably, In 2018, Salma launched GREEN WATECH. Particularly, to provide soil-based filter systems for wastewater treatment in rural areas. Furthermore, the treated water then irrigates crops for human consumption, reducing freshwater needs by up to 70%. Nonetheless, GREEN WATECH’s system uses half the space of similar technologies. Likewise, produces no odour or noise, and operates without electricity.

“Naturally, this low-tech, passive solution is essential for rural areas that can’t afford high energy bills,” Salma says.

Empowering Rural Morocco: Sustainable Sanitation and Agriculture

Consequently, the system’s simple operation and maintenance extend its lifespan to 20 years. GREEN WATECH also involves communities through pre-installation training sessions, encouraging local participation.

For this reason, “Our participatory approach ensures long-term success,” Salma explains. Hence, “The community takes ownership and learns to maintain the system.”

In fact, It is Determined to create a water treatment solution tailored to North Africa’s vulnerable populations. Significantly, Salma’s company has since brought safe sanitation to over 15,000 people across 17 villages and farms. Using GREEN WATECH’s technology, rural communities have treated over 200 million litres of water. Even so, reusing it to produce over 11,000 tons of food.

GREEN WATECH aims to double its reach by 2025, expanding to farms, resorts, schools, and other sites across North Africa.

Lastly, “It’s incredibly rewarding when people say this technology has transformed their lives,” says Salma. Salma Bougarrani Solution For Sanitation and Agriculture also creates jobs, enabling people to irrigate crops and sell produce.