Morocco's water crisis: dam levels plunge, basins face severe shortage

Morocco faces a critical water situation with national dams only filled up to 23.4 percent, a drop from 31.1 percent at the same time last year.

Ministry of Equipment and Water data reveals a reduction in total reserves, from 5,041.3 million cubic meters to 3,777.9 million cubic meters.

The scarcity extends to key water basins: Oum Er Rbia is at 4.62 percent, Souss-Massa at 11.22 percent, Bouregreg at 19.55 percent, Draa-Oued Noun at 20.46 percent, and Moulouya at 25.53 percent. Only three basins are close to half full: Tensift at 46.70 percent, Lokos at 39.13 percent, and Sebou at 36.66 percent.

Climate expert Ali Charoud highlights a continual decline in dam water levels over recent years due to reduced precipitation, higher temperatures, and shorter snowfall periods. He explains that while some areas witness heavy precipitation, rising temperatures decrease the duration of snow cover, impacting water supply from valleys that feed the dams.

Charoud emphasizes that Morocco can address this decline through water management strategies, such as connecting basins like Sebou and Bouregreg to mitigate water shortages in certain cities. However, he underscores that this strategy alone isn’t enough. There are efforts to recycle wastewater, desalinate water, and an essential need for citizen education regarding water conservation.

“The climate situation in the Kingdom is very worrying, and today it has become clear that the state of drought and water stress has become a structural given,” stressing in a statement to Hespress that this situation will have “radical effects on the economic and social structure of the kingdom,” said Abdennabi Abo El Arab, an economy expert.

According to the expert, over 40% of people in the Kingdom still live in rural areas. These people primarily work on small farms that are less than five hectares in size and rely on ancient irrigation methods as well as rain.

The spokesman stated that “the mullet agricultural sector in the Kingdom constitutes between 80 and 90% of the cultivated areas,” stressing that “five consecutive years of drought have a very serious impact on the economic and demographic structure.”

Around 270.000 jobs were lost in the rural areas in 2023, crop production fell by around 70%, and losses in livestock, poultry, and other industries were apparent and accounted for 50% of total losses. Inflation rates rose to extremely dangerous levels, placing Moroccan families, particularly those belonging to the vulnerable classes, in a precarious predicament.

The same expert warned that despite investments in the sector, such as water desalination projects, which have become a structural feature of the country’s public policies, the situation requires an urgent program in the rural world to save what can be saved.