Nizar Baraka reveals the extent of the damage and stresses the need to reconsider the management of dams and roads
Nizar Baraka, Minister of Equipment and Water, disclosed the scale of the damage to Morocco’s infrastructure caused by the recent floods. He emphasized that the primary aim of dams is to protect citizens and ensure a reliable supply of drinking water, irrigation, and hydropower, in addition to managing water discharge to prevent damage.
During the weekly press briefing of the government spokesperson, the minister noted that the Moulay Youssef Dam received 1.462 billion cubic meters of water, despite having a total capacity of 672 million cubic meters. He highlighted that the release of water is aimed at protecting the structure and managing water flow, not just meeting immediate needs. In the Loukkos Basin, the storage reached 1.117 billion cubic meters, which is 166% of normal capacity, after receiving 1.031 billion cubic meters in just 15 days, prompting immediate discharge measures.
Regarding the Al-Wahda Dam, it recorded inflows of 3.48 billion cubic meters, including 1.4 billion within a single week. This led the ministry to increase the discharge rate from 200 to 2,200 cubic meters per second before subsequently reducing it to 1,300 cubic meters and then to 800 cubic meters after Friday.
On the road network, the minister explained that 168 segments were affected, with 124 reopened, while 44 roads remain closed. Damages were spread across regions including Tangier-Tétouan-Al Hoceima, Rabat-Salé-Kénitra, Fez-Meknes, Marrakech-Safi, Souss-Massa, Casablanca-Settat, Béni Mellal-Khénifra, and the East. The majority of road closures were attributed to rising water levels (119 roads), along with landslides and soil slips (49 roads), as well as the collapse of infrastructure, particularly in rural areas.
Baraka indicated that emergency interventions allowed for the reopening of roads and relief from isolation, while continuous monitoring is in place to assess the damage, stressing the importance of conducting necessary studies to rebuild on sound foundations.
He underscored the crucial need to revise the standards for building roads and dams to withstand extreme weather events that have become more severe and frequent. He affirmed that the recent experience highlights the need for greater flexibility in administrative management, the development of hydrological modeling, and the preparation of flood risk maps to ensure citizen protection and enhance infrastructure resilience against climate risks.
