Morocco speeds up desalination projects as drought persists

Years of successive droughts emptied reservoirs pushing Morocco to speed up its desalination plans with new plants scheduled for Casablanca and Nador in 2027.

Dam filling rate has dropped to 23% in Morocco on average in November with some critical dams such as Al Massira- supplying Casablanca- completely depleted.

Construction works for the biggest desalination plant in Casablanca would start next year. It will be able to pump fresh water by 2027, according to the water ministry.

The Casablanca desalination plant will have a capacity of 300 cubic meters, enough to ensure water security of Morocco’s largest city and its surroundings.

Morocco has achieved the first phase of a waterway connecting the water-rich basin of Sebou to a dam near Rabat that also supplies northern Casablanca.

This waterway helped avert water supply disruptions in Casablanca, pending the desalination plant.

The same waterway would channel water to the region of Oum Rbia, to bring fresh water needed for irrigation needs of the agricultural region of Doukkala.

Water Minister, Nizar Baraka, told MPs that later this month a tender will be launched for a desalination plant to supply Nador with a capacity of 250 million cubic meters.

Baraka said his department also considers a similar plant to supply Tangier, Morocco’s second largest industrial hub.

Morocco’s phosphates giant, OCP, has also joined the nation’s water supply effort by building a plant with a capacity of 110 cubic meters to supply the Atlantic cities of El Jadida and Safi by 2026.