The Phytodepuration of Wastewater for Tourism Facilities in Rural Areas: The Atlas Kasbah Ecolodge—A Pilot Site in the Argan Biosphere Reserve

Abstract

In recent years, rural tourism has developed a lot and especially in the Souss Massa Draa region, in the South West of Morocco. The need to implement an eco-friendly sewage treatment has grown accordingly to resolve the wastewater issue. In this context, a pilot project of planted filters has been achieved in the Atlas Kasbah Ecolodge. During 3 years, the water purification performance and its compliance with the requirements of environmental management were assessed. The objective was to find an eco-friendly and affordable alternative to noncompliant ditches and sumps found in the rural areas of Morocco. The monitoring of physicochemical parameters of treated wastewater has revealed a perfect adaptation of the system to the needs of rural tourism facilities both in terms of efficiency and in terms of integration into the natural environment. Thus, such a technique could be spread in remote areas.