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Abstract
This paper discusses the possible effects of various ways of charging for water in an
integrated modeling framework adapted to the Drâa River Basin in southeastern Morocco.
Declining surface water availability in the basin has led to an increase in groundwater use for
irrigation in recent decades, even though groundwater extraction is more costly than using
surface water. The trade-off between the pricing of ground and surface water is discussed
based on recursive-dynamic simulations over a ten-year period. The results identify
groundwater pricing as an economically and environmentally favorable option, assuming that
revenues from water charges are redistributed to farmers.