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Baraka: Significant Rainfall Improves Dam Capacity and Raises Water Table Levels
Minister of Equipment and Water, Nizar Baraka, chaired the Board of Directors meeting of the Loukos Water Basin Agency on Wednesday at the regional council headquarters in Chefchaouen. The meeting was attended by the region’s governor, Zakaria Hashlaf, and Deputy President of the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, Rafiq Balkirshi, along with council members, parliamentarians, and local officials.
The meeting focused on reviewing the agency’s accounts for the 2024 fiscal year, discussing its work program and budget project for 2026, and assessing the implementation of its 2025 budget.
In his remarks, Baraka emphasized that the substantial rainfall experienced across the kingdom has positively impacted the filling of dams and water tables, benefiting the agricultural sector and related economic activities while enhancing water and food security.
The minister noted that the rainfall also necessitates increased vigilance and preparedness for climatic fluctuations by strengthening preventive measures against floods and extreme weather events. He highlighted that the Loukos Basin has experienced a marked decline in precipitation over the past seven years, particularly during the 2024-2025 hydrological year, with a shortfall of 16.3% compared to the annual average, significantly affecting dam inflows, which varied between 10% and 69%.
Conversely, the 2025-2026 hydrological year recorded a total rainfall of 937 mm up to March 8, 2026, representing a surplus of 63.3% compared to the usual average, and 193.3% compared to the same period last year. This rainfall led to the water storage in the basin’s dams reaching 1.764 billion cubic meters, with a filling rate of approximately 92.35%, compared to 44.9% during the same period last year, accompanied by rapid water level rises in northern regions and the Loukos Basin, which resulted in some flooding.
This situation necessitated the activation of monitoring and field tracking systems and the implementation of preventive measures in coordination with local authorities to ensure the safety of infrastructure and protect residents and properties.
Baraka indicated that the government continues to implement programs aimed at sustainably enhancing water security by developing infrastructure such as dams, water desalination plants, and distribution networks, while also mobilizing and rationalizing water resource management.
In addition, Mohamed Abdallah Zouini, director of the agency, presented an overview of the hydrological situation of the Loukos Basin, detailing achievements for 2024, work plans for 2025, and the 2026 budget project. The presentation included programs for preparing an atlas of flood-prone areas and their preventive plans, starting with implementation in the regions of Tetouan and Larache, with an aim to cover the entire scope of the agency starting in 2026, in addition to establishing an early warning center.
The meeting concluded with the approval of agreements to enhance flood risk management, as part of a national flood forecasting system and the “Vigirisque – Floods” system, along with a partnership agreement to implement flood prevention projects for 65 local communities in the Loukos Basin, as well as addendums to agreements for flood prevention in the city of Tetouan and the protection of the Aghdir plain in Al Hoceima, alongside the approval of energy projects and waste treatment initiatives in the province of Ouazzane.
