Moroccan government studying possible basins interconnection amid severe drought

Morocco has begun deploying new water-saving measures by conducting a geotechnical study of an interconnection project between different basins, according to the Equipment and Water Ministry.

This decision comes as the country faces its worst drought season in four decades due to the lack of rainfall and the climate crisis.

The Equipment and Water Ministry further stated that it has launched a request for proposals to conduct a geotechnical study for an interconnection project between the Sebou, Bouregreg and Oum Er-Rbia basins.

The bid documents set the total cost of conducting the study at about MAD 4.5 million, and the file of this request will be opened on September 14.

The Ministry’s directorate also launched another request for proposals related to the study of the impact on the natural and socio-economic environment and the economic profitability of the project.

The second request for proposals set the total amount of this study at about MAD 4 million, and its file will be opened on October 3, added the same source.

“Connecting water basins occurs in the context of climatic changes and scarcity of water resources as a result of successive droughts and uneven rainfall distribution across regions,” explained the Ministry’s directorate.

This action is a component of the National Water Plan 2020–2050, which aims to strengthen the systems and ensure optimal management of the water basins in an effort to combat climate change.

The project also aims to help the beneficiaries’ socio-economic development, which includes a large portion of the population, as well as to protect flood-prone areas, said the same source.

As of this Wednesday, dam injections totaled 4,324 million cubic meters, representing a filling rate of only 26.9%, down from 6765 million cubic meters (42.1%) during the same period last year, according to the Water and Equipment Ministry’s data.