Résumé
Water resources development and the intensification of water uses have profoundly altered water circulation in the arid river basins of southeast Morocco, leading to water reallocation and scarcity. Four case studies show how the State and farmers are adapting, often unsustainably, to the created water scarcity, including by promoting local water circularity. This paper argues that incorporating the principles of the circular economy 'Reduce' and 'Replenish' might be helpful to reconnect surface and groundwater at the explicit condition to reduce anthropogenic pressure on water resources and consider water circulation at the basin level.