The photographic exhibition “Caring for Water in the Desert: Ancestral Knowledge and Sustainable Management in the Douiret-Sbâa Oasis, Morocco” organized by WAMU+NET will be hosted at the Centrale dell’Acqua di Milano (WAMU+NET partner) from 25 September to 14 October 2026.
Through 30 photographs by Giulia Badocchi, Tommaso Borroni and Valeria Perrone, the exhibition tells the story of a centuries-old community-based water management system in the oasis of Douiret-Sbâa, in Morocco.
In the heart of the Sahara, in the Figuig region, the oasis of Douiret-Sbâa preserves a heritage of hydraulic and social knowledge developed over centuries to ensure survival in one of the most arid environments on the planet. Here, water is not merely a natural resource: it is the core of a community system founded on cooperation, equity, and the intergenerational transmission of knowledge. Through an intricate irrigation system fed by the sacred spring of Aïn Sbâa, the community continues to collectively manage a scarce resource to this day, maintaining a delicate balance among agriculture, biodiversity, and human needs.
The photographs gathered in this exhibition document not only the landscapes and daily life of the oasis, but above all the practices, gestures, and relationships that make possible the preservation of an extraordinary traditional community water management system that remains fully functioning. The exhibition arises within the framework of WAMU+NET's ongoing commitment to the research, documentation, and enhancement of ancient hydrotechnologies and water cultural heritage. Through an approach that integrates scientific research, cultural heritage, and artistic expression, WAMU+NET promotes dialogue between traditional knowledge, science and contemporary challenges, contributing to the development of new models of sustainability.
Along this journey, WAMU+NET accompanies the local community in establishing the world's first Oasis Ecomuseum: a participatory project aimed at enhancing the cultural, environmental, and hydraulic heritage of Douiret-Sbâa by placing the community itself at the center as the custodian and protagonist of its territory.
This photographic project therefore represents much more than a celebration of the oasis's extraordinary beauty. It is part of the broader initiative promoted by WAMU+NET to value aquatic heritage and traditional knowledge as concrete examples of climate change adaptation: authentic models of sustainable water resource management. In an era marked by growing water scarcity and the urgent need to rethink natural resource governance, systems like that of Douiret-Sbâa demonstrate how cooperation, community institutions, and respect for ecological limits constitute an invaluable treasure of knowledge for the future.
The Venue: Centrale dell'Acqua di Milano - Piazza Diocleziano, 5, 20154 Milano, Italy
Photo above: Giulia Badocchi