Wondrous Water

After two weeks of near solid rain, I thought this was an appropriate post. While I have frequently highlighted the wonders of Moroccan mountain weather, what with the refreshing experience of seasonal temperatures, the endless cloudless skies and the crisp dry air, I have given little thought to the poor farmers who make up the bulk of the population who have been suffering from the worst drought in well over a decade. Having been raised in Manchester where it often seems like half an ocean is thrown out of the sky over the course of most months and then Thailand where it feels the same only larger quantities and faster while also living in a city that is sinking into a swap, there has rarely been an occasion to consider the effects of too little water. 

It was with talk of this 'perfect' Moroccan weather that I welcomed my friend from Manchester a few weeks ago. After far too long at home I felt that the blue sky and warm winter sun of Morocco would be just what was needed. For those who are familiar with luck of Mancunians and weather will not be at surprised to learn that after arriving in Morocco in darkness we awoke the next day to the first clouds in months. Not only clouds but later typical Mancunian drizzle. Bar a day or so it has not really stopped raining since. Maybe I could market this strategy to the Moroccan government as a future drought solution. Just fly in some sun deprived Mancs. We had our first snow of the year and a week of solid rain after our mums visited in November.

The drought

Unlike Manchester the weather here has been unusually dry. In Ifrane it is normal to get a metre or so of snow. This year we have had nothing more than a few heavy flurries. We put this down simply to the fact that we had lugged a snowboard all the way out here like idiots. As the bitter weather has warmed still the rain didn’t come, instead we have had the most perfect spring weather you could imagine. There are certain smells you associate with different times of the year. Spring has a unique morning freshness that bodes of a great day to come. While it has gone unnoticed to us newbies up in Ifrane, the rest of Morocco has been worried. Driving around the country you pass through endless dusty, barren landscape and hundreds of vast dry empty riverbeds that look impossible to fill. The spring flowers that people talk of are not everywhere like predicted but confined to small pockets. The standard greeting between locals is ‘Salam Alakum’ meaning ‘Peace be upon you’ this is now also followed by ‘we pray for rain’. There is no grass, the animals are dying and the crops are failing. For the majority of the nation who survive on less $200 a month from farming, this has been a huge concern.

And then the rain came

Thankfully with the arrival of my Mancunian rain bringer, the drought was broken. Rain lashed the length of the Atlas Mountains. Driving through it back from Marrakesh we got to see the water table rise as the days passed. For about three days the rain just soaked into the ground. It seemed like no matter how much rain fell even the bitumen of the road was absorbing water. There wasn’t a puddle to be seen. After three days pockets of water appeared, after five days dusty barren riverbeds started to trickle then flow. Everywhere farmers we out getting wet tending their crops and re-digging irrigation channels. After a further soaking this week and occasional sunny spells of 24 degrees C, we woke up this morning to a thick layer of snow. This is weather in the extreme. Yet as cold and  miserable as it is, the farmers will still be celebrating.

Water... what makes us so miserable in Manchester is seen as life saving in so many less fortunate places. Sadly, although much of Ifrane and the surrounding hills have turned lush green, and the livestock is now feasting like it’s Christmas, the rain has come too late for a few areas. What is already a hard life will be much harder this year. What is worse is that may well be a cycle that is set to continue.