Morocco and Japan Launch Project to Address Sedimentation in Dam Reservoirs with $5 Million Funding
On Thursday, September 11, 2025, Morocco and Japan signed a memorandum of understanding in Rabat regarding the “Comprehensive Management of Sedimentation in Dam Reservoirs” project, continuing a collaboration between the two countries in the water sector that began in 1986.
The signing ceremony was attended by several partners, with the memorandum being signed by Abdelaziz Zerouali, Director General of Water Engineering at the Ministry of Equipment and Water, and Kowa Bata Tomoyuki, Resident Representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Morocco.
The project, which has a budget of $5 million, is set to be implemented over a four-year period and targets two main areas: the Moulouya Basin and the Sebou Basin. Its goal is to address the issue of accumulated sludge in dam reservoirs, which results in an annual loss of approximately 50 million cubic meters of storage capacity.
The project includes a series of technical and scientific measures, including providing technical support and follow-up, training personnel on sediment tracking models, utilizing modern techniques for sludge removal and valorization, as well as acquiring innovative equipment, specialized software, and satellite maps to monitor the progress of the work.
It will also involve conducting in-depth studies of the basins and implementing their recommendations in a model basin to assess the effectiveness of the measures taken, while supplying Morocco for the first time with specialized equipment to measure the quantity of solid loads reaching the dams.
The ministry confirmed that the project adopts an approach that integrates science and technology while taking into account environmental and social aspects and promotes the empowerment of women, in line with national policies to ensure water security through innovative and integrated solutions.
The report indicates that sedimentation in Moroccan dams results in a loss of about 50 million cubic meters of storage capacity annually, with the cost of removing sediments from small dams potentially reaching 70 dirhams per cubic meter.
