Morocco has completed eight new dams and is currently building 14 more large dams as part of a broader effort to strengthen the country’s water security, Minister of Equipment and Water Nizar Baraka said Monday.
Speaking during a question-and-answer session in the House of Representatives, Baraka said the government has accelerated dam construction across the country.
In addition to the 14 large dams under construction, Morocco has completed four medium-sized dams and 55 small and hillside dams distributed across different regions.
The minister said the country’s total water storage capacity has now reached 21 billion cubic meters and is expected to rise to 26 billion cubic meters in the future.
He also said that the heightening of both the “Mohammed V” Dam and the “Mokhtar Soussi” Dam has been completed to address siltation challenges, alongside the launch of a dedicated program to remove sediment from small and hill dams.
Managing water resources
Addressing water resource management and long-term sustainability, Baraka said that amid the severe drought affecting the Kingdom, the government allocated 55% of available water resources to agriculture and irrigation, equivalent to 2 billion cubic meters.
The ministry has also connected several water basins and directed 550 million cubic meters of desalinated seawater to irrigation. In addition, 1.2 billion cubic meters of drinking water have been allocated to support agriculture and rural areas.
In this context, the minister stressed the need to implement urgent programs aimed at reducing water consumption, while increasing the use of digital technologies and modern solutions to ensure more efficient water management in the agricultural sector.
Baraka acknowledged that many rural areas continue to face major challenges in securing regular access to water. He said the relevant authorities are working to ease the situation through emergency water deliveries using tanker trucks.
The minister said the government is pursuing long-term structural solutions under the national water strategy launched by King Mohammed VI to strengthen water security across both urban and rural areas.
