“Saqayti” – My fountain in Arabic – is an automatic border substituting to the public fountains in the poor regions of Morocco. Operating with prepaid cards, borders fountains facilitated the access to the drinking water, avoided the wasting and realized importants economies. Dominique Héron, the manager of the partnerships in Véolia Environnement company, made a presentation of this system during the forum organized in Paris on the occasion of the World Food Day in 2009.
In rural areas, certain districts cannot be individually served in drinking water, for structural or financial reasons. The only solution for people is to resort to the self-service fontaines. However, this system provokes the wasting and the overconsumption of the water for local authorities. To adjust these dysfunctions, new borders automatic fountains called ” Saqayti” – my fountain in Arabic- were created by Véolia Environnement Maroc. They operate with a smart card, credited every month, of a volume of water prepaid by the municipalities.
This new process benefits at the same moment to consumers and to the municipalities. Besides, people have not to queue up any more to stock up with drinking water. « And it reduced in a significant way the risks of school failure at the children in particular the girls who has this duty to search for water every day », declared Dominique Héron, manager of partnerships at Véolia Environnement. The system helps also to establish a friendly atmosphere in districts.
Taking advantage of the solar energy, the borders fountains also allow the local authorities to budget their consumption – 50 in 70 % economises – and so to protect their water ressources.
Tested in 2006 to Témara (6 km from Rabat), borders fountains automatic were spread to the North of Morocco and the authorities of Tangier plan to implant about fifty today.
This initiative of sustainable development which cost several rewards to the French operator deserves to be duplicated in the other developing countries.

TAOUFIK Salah-eddine
+33 6 01 75 77 87