Nearly half of Moroccans have changed water sources due to shifting weather patterns

Nearly half of Moroccans, about 47%, have reduced water consumption or changed their water sources over the past five years due to shifting weather patterns, according to a recent survey by Afrobarometer.

This places Morocco fourth among surveyed countries, behind Tunisia at 55%, Guinea at 51%, and Guinea-Bissau at 50%. By contrast, only 18% of respondents in Mauritius and 15% in Nigeria reported making similar changes.

The report, titled “Water Supply High on Africans’ Policy Agenda Amid Persistent Access and Service Gaps,” covers 38 countries across the continent. It found that 68% of Moroccans say they have never gone without enough clean water for home use, while only 3% report that this always happens.

Conditions differ sharply in other countries. In Gabon and Guinea, 52% and 46% of respondents, respectively, say they always lack sufficient clean water for household use.

Morocco also reports relatively high access to basic water infrastructure. Around 95% of respondents said piped water systems are available to most households in their area, while about 38% reported access to boreholes or tubewells—placing the country well above continental averages of 52% and 45%, respectively.

In contrast, Liberia shows heavier reliance on boreholes, with about 78% of respondents reporting their presence, compared with only 9% citing access to piped water.

The findings also indicate that 88% of Moroccans have their main household water source inside the home, ranking second after Mauritius at 93%. In Sierra Leone and Madagascar, only 1% of respondents reported the same.

Morocco additionally records relatively strong access to sanitation infrastructure. About 82% of respondents said most households in their area are connected to sewage systems, compared with just 2% in both Gambia and Mauritania.