Environmental activists say the recurring disruptions to Morocco’s drinking water supply are primarily the result of aging distribution infrastructure and technical failures, rather than a lack of available water resources.
Their comments come as official figures show Morocco’s reservoirs remain at relatively comfortable levels, with the country’s dams currently 70.62% full, significantly higher than during the same period last year.
Mustapha Benramel, president of the environmental association Les Minarets écologiques pour le développement et le climat, said recent water outages affecting cities including Meknes, Tiflet, and several mountainous areas were caused mainly by failures in the drinking water distribution network.
“The repeated interruptions are due to technical failures in the water infrastructure,” Benramel told Hespress.
He argued that many of the pipelines connecting distribution networks are made from plastic materials that were not designed to withstand increasingly frequent extreme weather events.
“The heavy rainfall and soil erosion experienced in several regions, particularly between January and February, exposed sections of the pipelines and damaged them,” he said, adding that recent heatwaves have further aggravated the situation.
Benramel acknowledged, however, that summer demand for water now exceeds the capacity of existing infrastructure in some areas.
“As consumption rises during the summer, it becomes natural for the system to experience repeated interruptions if the infrastructure is not upgraded,” he said.
He stressed that future investments in water infrastructure must account for the growing impact of climate change, including heatwaves, flooding, and soil erosion.
Benramel also rejected claims that the recent outages reflect a deterioration in Morocco’s overall water resources, noting that dam storage levels remain relatively high.
Meanwhile, Ayoub Krir, president of the environmental organization Oxygen for Environment and Climate, also attributed the disruptions primarily to infrastructure management rather than drought.
“The recurring interruptions should not simply be blamed on natural factors or water scarcity,” Krir said.
According to Krir, field observations suggest the problems stem from the management practices of some delegated water operators as well as the deteriorating condition of water distribution networks in several regions.
“Although maintenance is carried out periodically, the infrastructure often deteriorates without being systematically renewed,” he said.
He argued that households should not experience repeated interruptions to drinking water services except in exceptional situations requiring urgent repairs.
At the same time, Krir acknowledged that seasonal spikes in water consumption for drinking and household use place additional pressure on distribution networks during the summer months.
He called for regular infrastructure upgrades alongside better communication with residents.
“Whenever interruptions are unavoidable, citizens should be informed in advance so they have enough time to prepare,” he said.
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