An MSc study conducted within the EMPOWERMed project has examined household-level socio-economic vulnerability to water scarcity in Morocco’s Upper Sebou watershed. The fieldwork covered 28 rural villages in the Middle Atlas Mountains and included household surveys and interviews with settled agricultural communities and nomadic herders.
The research was conducted by Hlaing Nu Aye of the University of Florence (UNIFI) through collaboration with Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P). It was supported by the Erasmus+ Extra-EU Mobility Programme and by Living Planet Morocco during field engagement with local communities.
📊 Assessing household vulnerability
The study examined how three dimensions—exposure, economic sensitivity and adaptive capacity—interact to shape household vulnerability to water scarcity.
According to the research summary, 3% of surveyed households were classified as highly vulnerable, while 55% experienced moderate vulnerability. The large moderately vulnerable group suggests that many households are currently coping but remain fragile: additional shocks could move them into higher-risk conditions.
👩 Gender and everyday water insecurity
The reported findings emphasise that vulnerability is shaped not only by physical water availability, but also by livelihood dependence, economic constraints and households’ capacity to adapt.
Women reportedly carry the greatest burden of water collection while remaining minimally represented in related decision-making. This indicates that effective water-management responses must consider both resource conditions and the distribution of responsibilities, influence and adaptive capacity within communities.
🤝 Fieldwork and research collaboration
Direct engagement with rural communities helped connect quantitative vulnerability assessment with lived experience, including effects on livelihoods, gender roles and everyday coping strategies.
The research was supervised by Prof. Giulio Castelli of UNIFI and Prof. Mohamed Ouarani of UM6P, with additional guidance from Dr Khadidja Sakhraoui of TU Berlin. Living Planet Morocco supported field access and engagement with local communities.
💧 About EMPOWERMed
EMPOWERMed is a PRIMA-funded research project combining hydrological, technological, socio-economic and participatory approaches to water scarcity. Its socio-economic work is intended to help water-management strategies reflect how scarcity affects different communities and social groups.
🔭 What’s next?
The findings can help identify where adaptive capacity is limited and where moderate vulnerability could escalate. Before the numerical results are presented as validated project findings, they should be confirmed against the final thesis, underlying results table or an approved scientific output.
Source and further reading: original research summary on LinkedIn.