Rabat – Morocco’s water resources exceed 2 billion and 110 million cubic meters, a 207% rise compared to the same time last year, according to the country’s Minister of Logistics and Water, Nizar Baraka.
Speaking on Monday at a hearing session at the parliament, Baraka said that the national average rainfall between September 2022 and now is 72 millimeters, compared to 38 millimeters last year, marking a 88% increase.
Meanwhile, the filling rate of dams reached 31%, with water reserves totaling 5 billion and 100 million cubic meters, the minister added.
However, the minister shed light on the regional disparity of the dam filling rate, explaining that it reached 55% in some regions like the Loukous dam, but only 25% in the Oriental region, and it remains low in the region of Oum Rbii and Tensift.
Water scarcity is among the most pressing challenges facing Morocco. The country currently ranks among countries with the lowest water resources per capita, with an average of water resources per capita at 645 cubic meters in 2015, well below the international “water poverty line” of 1000 cubic meters per capita.
The ratio of water per capita is set to drop even further by 2050 to 500 cubic meters per capita, nearing the international threshold of “extreme water scarcity.”
Amid mounting concerns about water scarcity, Morocco is turning to desalination, taking advantage of its coastlines. However, desalination is an energy-intensive process in a country that already imports over 90% of its energy needs.
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