Morocco's dam reserves plunge to 23% capacity amid persistent drought

Moroccan dams face a crisis with water levels plummeting to 23% at the end of the week, a significant drop from last year’s 31%. 

Data from the Ministry of Equipment and Water reveals an alarming overall decrease from 5.14 billion cubic meters to 3.72 billion.

This sharp decline of 1.42 billion cubic meters in a year raises serious concerns amid persistent drought, with several national dams being under severe stress.

In the northwest, the Loukkos basin’s filling dropped to 38%, down from 58% last year. 

The Moulouya basin in the northeast records a drop from 25% to 23% this year, while the Sebou basin follows with a 35% filling, down from 50% a year earlier.

Despite the challenges, there’s a glimmer of relief as some dams show improvement. The Tansift dam rises from 39% to 48%, offering a positive shift.

The Draa dam located in the southwest and the Guir Ziz Rheris dam in the southeast have also experienced favorable changes, achieving levels of 20% and 26%, respectively.

However, Morocco’s largest dam, the Al Wahda Dam, stands at 39%, down from 57% last year.

In the southwest, the Al Massira Dam, the second-largest, faces an alarming 0.6% filling, intensifying concerns about water security. 

Morocco is grappling with the challenges of a persistent drought, now entering its sixth consecutive year. 

This prolonged drought poses serious threats to both agricultural production and the country’s water supply.

The World Bank has estimated that Morocco will require a substantial $78 billion in funding between 2022 and 2050 to effectively address climate change and mitigate its far-reaching impacts. 

The repercussions of the ongoing drought are anticipated to result in a noteworthy 6.5% reduction in the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). 

By 2050, nearly 2 million people are expected to migrate from rural areas to urban centers due to the adverse effects of the prolonged drought on their livelihoods.

To confront the most severe drought in more than 30 years, authorities have taken steps to save water. 

These steps involve reducing the amount of drinking water available and restricting the use of tap water for gardening, irrigation, and washing vehicles and public baths. 

The General Directorate of Meteorologie announced today that from the night of Thursday February 8 to Friday February 9, 2024, the weather situation will change as a low-pressure system approaches from western Europe, bringing a favorable flow of precipitation to Morocco.

Clouds accompanied by moderate to heavy #rainfall will affect the northern and central Atlantic plains from Thursday night and Friday, then spread to inland regions, the Atlas mountains, the Rif and the east of the country.

Snowfall is also forecast for Friday and Saturday over the peaks of the High and Middle Atlas and probably over the eastern Rif, with a noticeable drop in temperatures.

This meteorological disturbance will also be accompanied by strong winds, with fairly strong gusts on Friday and Saturday over the North, Centre, Relief and Oriental regions.

Rain and showers are still expected in places on Saturday, February 10, 2024.

On Sunday, residual rain is forecast over the north and northeast of the country, the Rif highlands and the Middle Atlas.

The weather will then gradually stabilize, with relatively cold temperatures at night and in the early hours of the morning over the Atlas, the Southeast and the Eastern Highlands.

The forecast could entail changing temperatures in a precipitation-quenched Morocco, as the Kingdom navigates its third consecutive drought year.