Eco-Hammam: Engaging key stakeholders with bespoke low-carbon technologies for lighting, heating and water recycling to sustain a Moroccan heritage

0d8e1d39-81c3-4a73-ac7e-4fd96e046d86

Closed

GCRF
GCRF
GCRF
GCRF
GCRF

£404,050

Feb. 1, 2020

Oct. 31, 2021

This impact and engagement project follows on from developments arising from a previous AHRC funded project during which all the surviving and still functioning historic hammams (public bathhouses)of the North African heritage cities were surveyed and documented by the PI. Morocco is where the largest number of still functioning heritage hammams was surveyed and where new hammams are part of the cluster of key urban facilities introduced in every newly residential neighbourhood. This proposal is based on new developments that have emerged from the UN climate change conference COP22, held in Marrakech 2016 and during which Moroccan hammams were presented as major contributors to air pollution, deforestation and environmental degradation as well as high water consumption and wastage. It was estimated at COP22 that Morocco has at least 12 000 hammams, operating with wood burning traditional furnaces. Each hammam consumes on average 1.5 tonnes of wood and between 60 to 120 cubic meter of water per day. The accumulated environmental impact of hammams is significant. Various un-coordinated attempts were made by both National and International Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency organisations to reduce their environmental impact by facilitating their energy transition. However, it is estimated today that only 67 hammams out of the 12 000 have made some progress in their energy transition.
The main aim of this Follow-on Funding for Impact and Engagement is to facilitate the acceleration of ecological transitions processes in Moroccan hammams. This will be achieved through the establishment of regional key stakeholders' networks in each of Rabat, Fez and Marrakech in order to creatively engage them to communicate and co-produce integrated strategies for multi-sectorial coordinated actions for energy transition, enhanced indoor conditions and responsible water consumption and recycling. This project aims to accomplish the following four objectives:
1.Establish a data base of regional key stakeholders and design social media and web platforms in order to facilitate interaction between them during the one year duration of the project.
2.Conduct 3 sets of three-day regional public engagement and network facilitation events with 120 stakeholders in each of Rabat, Fez and Marrakech. Each of the three days will focus on one specific area of ecological transition: energy transition; improved indoor conditions for health, safety and well being; responsible water consumption and recycling. An engagement case study hammam will be used in each region to form the focus of multi-stakeholders' co-production of realistic and feasible scenarios for ecological transitions. These events are designed to act as catalysts for self-sustaining coordinated regional processes and networks that will accelerate energy transition and ecological practices
3.Co-monitor social media and web platforms for hammam stakeholders to assess the impact of regional events.
4.Co-produce with the National Moroccan Agency for Energy Efficiency a toolkit for hammam ecological transition and a rating system for Eco-Hammam labelling.
The combination of these separate actions will facilitate an integrated approach towards the co-production of holistic eco-hammam practices and the acceleration of their implementation. This project has the potential to be extended to other Maghreb countries of Algeria, Tunisia and Libya where the hammam is still a living heritage. This proposal is GCRF and ODA compliant and meets 3 of the 5 GCRF categories for equitable access to sustainable development namely: sustainable health and well-being; clean air; water and sanitation; affordable, reliable, sustainable energy.

Potential Impact:
The outcomes of this project are GCRF and ODA compliant as they contribute to the following key areas of Global Sustainable Development Goals: Sustainable health and wellbeing, clean air, water and sanitation and affordable, reliable, sustainable energy.
Morocco is on the ODA DAC list and is part of the Lower Middle-Income Countries Territories.
The main aim of this project is to facilitate the acceleration of ecological transitions processes in Moroccan hammams. It will bring together for the first time three different regional networks of hammam stakeholders with 120 stakeholders in each network to interact and coproduce strategies for ecological transitions for Moroccan hammams. A total of 360 stakeholders from various sectors and regions will have been creatively engaged by the end of the project to form self-sustaining networks that will continue beyond the duration of the project as facilitated by social network platforms and interactive websites established in this project.
The project is co-delivered closely with six different partners consisting of National and International NGOs, Govermental organisations, architectural practice, commercial entities and innovators of bespoke technologies and hammam managers. The project engages sdifferent sectors of stakeholders.
The impact of this project is that it addresses Morocco National priorities in terms of achieving the following:
1.Environmental sustainability: Reducing deforestation in Morocco by increasing hammam managers awareness of the use of biomass and efficient boilers and increasing their capacity to source biomass and integrate renewable energy technologies.
2.Increasing opportunities for water saving and recycling , hence addressing the problems of water shortages brought about by severe draughts caused by climate change.
3.Provide an opportunity of communication and collaboration between concerned Ministries in order to facilitate joint sustainable actions such as co-subsidising the installation of biomass boilers and improving hammam managers accessibility to biomass and biomass energy efficient boilers and solar water heaters.
4.Improving health and well-being of hammam staff and users by the application of health and safety measures and improving the indoor comfort in terms of daylighting natural ventilation, humidity and temperature controls. Every hammam receives an average of 700 regular clients on a weekly basis. This project is likely to have a positive impact on the health and wellbeing of at least 700 x 12,000 = 840,000 hammam users. 5.Improving air quality by reducing air pollution caused by the traditional hammam furnaces and their chimneys and hence
Improving Economic sustainability of hammams by reducing their running costs of fuel, water and electricity and hence maintaining their affordable access to the low-income population.
Maintaining the cultural sustainability and resilience of a living heritage of hygiene and wellbeing by allowing the tangible and intangible dimensions of this heritage to continue into the 21st century, particularly for the low-income population living in the World heritage cities of Rabat, Fes and Marrakech.
Sustain informal and formal jobs associated with the hammam operation, management and services, hence maintaining a source of income for the most economically disadvantaged. Each hammam employs about 15 staff, men and women, therefore the project has the potential to improve the working conditions of at least 180,000 hammam workers.
The co- production of an Eco-Hammam toolkit and a rating system will facilitate and accelerate energy and ecological transition practices. These two outcomes of the project could further accelerate the implementation of new regulations by the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Sustainable Development in Morocco through its branch AMEE , one of the partners of this project.