The water reservoir filling rate in the Kingdom has exceeded 49%
During a session of oral questions at the House of Councillors on Tuesday, Nizar Baraka, the Minister of Equipment and Water, reported that the water reservoir filling rate in the Kingdom has reached 49.44%, thanks to recent significant rainfall.
In response to questions regarding the management and investment of water resources in light of recent rainfall and snowfall, the minister stated, “This rate is significant as we have not reached this level for years,” noting that the total volume of water in the reservoirs currently stands at 6.61 billion cubic meters, in addition to new reservoirs constructed since 2022, which benefited from a substantial contribution of 280 million cubic meters.
The minister highlighted that rainfall and snow contributions to the reservoirs from September until today have totaled 3.785 billion cubic meters, mentioning that the Loukkos basin recorded a capacity of 448 million cubic meters, 450 million cubic meters for Moulouya, and 1.16 billion cubic meters for Sebou.
Regarding the Al-Wahda Reservoir, the minister added that water contributions exceeded 1 billion cubic meters, with 580 million cubic meters for Am Rabia, 81 million cubic meters for Tensift, 139 million cubic meters for Souss-Massa, and 284 million cubic meters for Drâa-Tafilalet, while the Kher-Ziz-Ghris area recorded 275 million cubic meters.
In this context, the minister confirmed that Morocco has shifted from a phase characterized by severe water stress to moderate water stress, thanks to recent rainfall, clarifying that the rainfalls remain 25% below normal levels.
He stated that the latest data revealed a 58% decline in ordinary water resources, despite a recorded improvement of 45% in water imports.
Regarding the investment of these water resources, the minister noted that Morocco has been able to secure at least a year and a half of drinking water supply due to recent rains, asserting that “the concerns raised regarding the management of this summer’s resources have been overcome for all water basins, except for some southern regions experiencing special circumstances.”
Baraka further remarked that these water imports would also provide additional supplies for irrigation for farmers.
On another note, the minister mentioned that efforts to accelerate the construction of desalination plants have continued, which currently provides more than 300 million cubic meters, thanks to the efforts made by both the National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water and the Office Chérifien des Phosphates.
He pointed out that 80% of the drinking water in the provinces of Brachid, Settat, and Sidi Slal, as well as southern Casablanca, comes from new supplies, thanks to the expansion of the Jorf Lasfar plant, adding that the city of Safi is supplied with water through desalinated seawater at a rate of one hundred percent.
He continued that, thanks to the water connectivity and seawater desalination, the supply of drinking water to the Al-Haouz region and Marrakech will be guaranteed until May 2026, similar to the water connection between the Sebou basin and the Abu Rqarraq basin, thus “the concerns regarding water supply will not remain.”
The government official noted that work is underway to implement a water freeway from Oued Laou to Loukkos and then to Am Rabia, addressing the shortage in the Am Rabia area, emphasizing that the study related to this project will be completed by June.
Regarding wastewater treatment, Baraka explained that the goal is to reach 100 million cubic meters by 2027 and 350 million cubic meters by 2035, to conserve water using treated wastewater in green spaces and sports fields.
