Moulouya River

The Moulouya River (Berber: iɣẓer en Melwect, Arabic: وادي ملوية‎) is a 520 km-long river in Morocco. Its sources are located in the Ayashi mountain in the Middle Atlas.[2] It empties into the Mediterranean Sea near Saïdia, in northeast Morocco at about 35.1228°N 2.3367°W / 35.1228; -2.3367.

Moulouya River
View of the mouth of the Moulouya
Course of the Moulouya River
Native nameIɣẓer en Melwect
وادي ملوية
Location
CountryMorocco
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationJbel Ayachi
 • elevation3,700 m (12,100 ft)
Mouth 
 • location
Mediterranean Sea near Saïdia
 • coordinates
35.1228°N 2.3367°W / 35.1228; -2.3367
 • elevation
0 m (0 ft)
Length520 km (323 mi)
Basin features
ProgressionMiddle Atlas - Hassan II Dam - Mohamed V Dam - Mediterranean Sea
Official nameEmbouchure de la Moulouya
Designated15 January 2005
Reference no.1478[1]

Water level in the river often fluctuates. The river is used for irrigation and is dammed by the Hassan II and Mohamed V Dams.

History

The Romans called this river Malva. The Moulouya River formed the eastern border of the Rif Republic in the 1920s, a small part of Morocco containing important cities like Saïdia and Oujda lying to the east, between the Moulouya and the border with Algeria. Until 1956 the river also formed the eastern border of the Spanish Protectorate of Morocco.

Flamingoes in the Moulouya.
Fish killed by pollutants fill the Moulouya River in August 2011.

Ecology

In August 2011 fish were killed by pollutants in the Moulouya River and local residents feared for their crops and livestock.[3]

References
  1. "Embouchure de la Moulouya". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  2. Peyron, M. (1990). "'Ayyachi, Jbel". Encyclopédie berbère. 8. Edisud. pp. 1200–1204.
  3. "Ecological disaster mars Morocco's Moulouya River". Magharebia. August 2011.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.