Drought Pushes Morocco to Adapt Water Policy

During a high-level meeting held on the sidelines of the COP28 conference on Saturday, Morocco's Minister of Equipment and Water Nizar Baraka said that the country's water policy has to be adapted due to the country's severe drought in recent years.

Rabat – During a high-level meeting held on the sidelines of the COP28 conference on Saturday, Morocco’s Minister of Equipment and Water Nizar Baraka said that the country’s water policy has to be adapted due to the country’s severe drought in recent years.

Morocco’s approach to resolving this issue is demonstrated by the growth of more seawater desalination plants along its coasts.

The goal of Morocco’s water desalination program is to reach 1.5 billion cubic meters by 2030, Baraka explained during the conference.

The minister also emphasized that the program’s objective is to improve coastal cities’ access to drinking water, thereby balancing the allocation of water resources across the nation and satisfying irrigation demands.

The Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems Nexus is essential to this kind of project, the minister added, since it allows for maximum integration and the utilization of renewable energy sources.

In the same vein, the Minister highlighted the Agadir seawater desalination plant project, the first phase of which began in 2022 and will allow for the daily production of 400 thousand cubic meters of desalinated water.

Additionally, the minister stressed Morocco’s resolve to diversify its agricultural water supplies, while linking the use of renewable energies to water desalination.

Baraka also mentioned the seawater desalination plant in Dakhla, which is currently under construction and is set to be operated by wind energy, with most of its output allocated to irrigation.

Currently under construction is the Dakhla seawater desalination plant, which the minister said will run mostly on wind energy for irrigation.

Nine other water desalination projects, including one related to agriculture, have been slated for completion and are anticipated to start operations in 2027.

Baraka underscored the critical role of international organizations in providing funding and technical assistance to build capacities.