Morocco, highly threatened by water scarcity in 2024

Morocco is expected to face a severe water shortage in less than 20 years, according to new projections from the Economist Intelligence Unit.

As a result of man-made climate change, the kingdom will be among the nearly 40 countries in the world that will face the difficult challenge of water scarcity, according to the new report.

Coupled with a lack of rainfall and drought, the drying up of dams, the high demand for water due to urbanization and the significant rates of water wastage, regionally inappropriate crops that consume a lot of water in arid and dry regions, Morocco’s hydraulic future seems to be doomed for failure and weak water security.

According to the graph that projects the ratio between water withdrawals and available water resources in 2040, Morocco is classified in the “extremely high” risk zone, with consumption exceeding 80% of its water resources.

Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya are also threatened, making the North African countries the only ones on the African continent to suffer this threat.

Surprisingly, most African countries will not have to face this problem, demonstrates the report, as countries such as Eritrea, South Africa, Botswana, and Namibia are classified in the “high” risk zone with a water consumption between 40 and 80% of their resources.

The rest of the African countries are at “low” and “low to medium” risk, estimated between 10-19%.

According to the Economist Intelligence Unit report, the severe water shortages expected by 2040 in Morocco are the result of “rapid urbanization, population growth, climate change and economic development” that are putting pressure on water supply systems.

Apart from the North African region, Europe is also concerned. Greece, Spain and Belgium are listed as countries most exposed to this environmental risk, with a consumption of 40 to 80% of the renewable water resources available to them.

Water is a vital ressource for Morocco and its economy. Customarily, and despite the evolution of agricultural techniques and capacities in recent decades, the country’s economic year is still highly dependent on precipitation.

As noted this year, an unprecedented drought has severely affected the economy, living costs and wages.

Aware of this important economic and environmental factor, the Moroccan government is accelerating its desalination plants and projects, in hopes of countering the “inevitable” climate catastrophe.