Morocco braces for another dry year

The specter of drought is still haunting Morocco for the fourth consecutive year amid delayed rainfall and emptying reservoirs.

The alarm bell was rang by water minister Nizar Baraka who warned that some cities should prepare for a rationing of water as part of measures to reduce demand.

“The country is heading to a fourth year of drought, if it does not rain in the next three months. The water deficit reported in many regions, notably the south and the north, is very serious,” Baraka told reporters, warning “the situation is disastrous.”

The rainfall deficit was at 67% by December compared to last year, he said, noting that higher temperature led to more evaporation of already scarce dam water resources.

Dam filling rate dropped across the country to stand at 22.5% of overall capacity, he said.

Proactive measures, such as the waterway channeling water to Rabat and Casablanca, have spared the two cities water-cuts, he said.

The desalination plants launched by OCP in El Jadida and Safi are also planned to start pumping fresh water in 2024, he said, as the government plans a larger plant in Casablanca to be ready by 2027.