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Morocco’s Minister of Equipment and Water, Nizar Baraka, has announced a comprehensive framework aimed at regulating seawater desalination practices amid escalating climate and demographic challenges. This initiative not only underscores the nation’s commitment to water security and food sovereignty but also addresses the pressing need for innovative resource management.
Navigating Water Scarcity: Morocco’s Strategic Shift
In response to seven consecutive years of drought, the Moroccan government is reassessing its water management strategies to adapt to increasingly severe climate conditions. During a recent session at the House of Representatives, Minister Nizar Baraka outlined the government’s new regulatory framework for seawater desalination, ensuring that contracts, operational diaries, and related licenses conform to the provisions of Law No. 36.15 on water management.
Increasing Investment in Desalination
The proposed regulatory decree is currently in the finalization stage, pending signature across relevant governmental sectors. Baraka emphasized that water is no longer a mere sectoral issue but a strategic priority, intertwined with food security, equitable development, and sustainable growth, especially in light of growing environmental pressures.
Baraka highlighted a significant rise in desalination capacity—jumping from 46 million cubic meters in 2021 to an impressive 410 million cubic meters anticipated this year. This leap illustrates the scale of investments being funneled into innovative water sourcing methods.
Major Projects and Collaborative Efforts
Highlighting ongoing partnerships, Baraka revealed collaborations with the Office Chérifien des Phosphates (OCP) and other stakeholders to implement a supplementary program ensuring access to desalinated water in regions like Casablanca-Settat, Marrakech, Ben Guerir, and Khouribga, all while addressing OCP’s industrial water needs. Major projects on the verge of completion, such as the Casablanca desalination plant and a renewable energy-based facility in Dakhla, are pivotal in strengthening water security and meeting surging demand for potable water.
Future Goals for Wastewater Recycling
The Minister also outlined ambitions for advancing wastewater reuse, aiming to escalate treated water production to 100 million cubic meters annually by 2030, up from the current 52 million cubic meters, with aspirations of reaching 300 million cubic meters in the future. The government is also focusing on rainwater harvesting, upgrading treatment facilities, and enhancing domestic manufacturing capabilities for water sector equipment, thereby boosting local industry and employment.
Towards a Comprehensive Water Security Framework
In his conclusion, Baraka underscored the necessity of a holistic approach to achieving water security, emphasizing resource mobilization, consumption rationalization, and the safeguarding of current water supplies. He warned that the effectiveness of water policies depends not solely on increasing supply but also on changing consumption behaviors across households, agriculture, industry, and public spaces.
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Morocco’s new regulatory framework for seawater desalination tackles water scarcity and aims for sustainable management amid ongoing climate challenges.
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As Morocco battles severe drought, a strategic focus on seawater desalination emerges as key to ensuring water security and sustainable growth.
