Casablanca – As Morocco is facing its worst drought in three decades, the government has doubled the budget allocated to water management in the 2023 Finance Bill.
The budget has been increased by MAD 5 billion ($459 million) to reach MAD 10.6 billion ($973.1 million).
The government allocated MAD 4 billion ($367.2 million) to continue the construction of large and medium-sized dams and the liquidation of related properties.
This is in addition to the state allocation of MAD 1.5 billion ($137.7 million) for desalination projects and MAD 1.4 billion ($128.5 million) for initiatives to provide drinking water to village centers.
As part of Morocco’s efforts to tackle the water shortage in the country, the government introduced this year the National Program for the Supply of Drinking Water and Irrigation 2020-2027 launched by the Office for Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE).
The initiative aims to boost Moroccan dam capacity from 18 billion cubic meters to 27 billion cubic meters.
Read also: Water Management: Morocco’s Greatest Threat or Opportunity?
The government’s plans also include the development of desalination facilities, as well as basins and dams.
Earlier this month, Morocco granted MAD 22 million ($2 million) in funding for initial studies of the desalination project in Tangier.
In January, Morocco’s Ministry of Equipment, Transport, Logistics, and Water allocated MAD 2.42 billion ($260 million) for the 2021-2022 emergency plan to secure drinking water supply across the country. However, such allocations can only give minimal short-term remedies.
“We should keep in mind that the water policy is not just a sectoral policy; rather, it lies at the intersection of a great many sectors,” King Mohammed VI emphasized in his speech during the opening of the legislative year.
