Recent rainfall boosts Morocco's water reservoir levels

Morocco's national water reservoir levels have reached 49.44% capacity, thanks to significant rainfall in recent weeks, as reported by Nizar Baraka, Minister of Equipment and Water, during a session in the House of Councillors. Baraka explained that this marks the highest reservoir level in years, with a total of 6.61 billion cubic meters stored, in addition to 280 million cubic meters from new reservoirs constructed since 2022.

Since last September, Morocco's reservoirs have received 3.785 million cubic meters of water, including 448 million cubic meters in the Loukkos basin, 450 million in the Moulouya basin, and 1.16 billion in the Sebou basin. The Al Wahda reservoir has surpassed 2 billion cubic meters, while Oum Errbia holds 580 million cubic meters, Tensift 81 million, Souss-Massa 139 million, Drâa-Oued Noun 284 million, and the Guir-Ziz-Rheris basin 275 million cubic meters.

Baraka highlighted that Morocco has shifted from acute water stress to moderate stress, thanks to recent rains. However, the rainfall is still 25% below the seasonal average. The minister also pointed out that the country's water resources are currently 58% lower than usual, although there has been a 45% improvement in water intake compared to the previous period.

Regarding the utilization of water resources, Baraka assured that these rains have secured the nation's drinking water supply for at least the next 18 months. He added that concerns about water management during the summer months have been alleviated for all regions, except for southern provinces facing specific challenges.

Additionally, the water influx will help secure more water for agricultural irrigation. Baraka noted that the construction of desalination plants is advancing, with current capacity exceeding 300 million cubic meters, thanks to the collaboration of the National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE) and OCP Group.

He also revealed that 80% of the drinking water supply for the provinces of Berrechid, Settat, Had Soualem, and southern Casablanca now comes from desalination, made possible by the expansion of the Jorf Lasfar plant. The city of Safi is now fully supplied with desalinated seawater.

Baraka emphasized that through hydraulic interconnection and desalination, the drinking water supply for the Al Haouz and Marrakech regions is guaranteed until May 2026. This is similar to the interconnection between the Sebou and Bouregreg basins, which will alleviate concerns about water availability.

Finally, Baraka announced that the water highway project linking Oued Laou to Loukkos and then to Oum Errbia is underway to address the water deficit in this basin, with the technical study set for completion by June.

On wastewater treatment, Baraka shared plans to increase capacity to 100 million cubic meters by 2027 and 350 million cubic meters by 2035, enabling the reuse of treated water for green spaces and sports fields.