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Rabat – In reaction to the severe water shortages exacerbated by consecutive years of drought in Morocco, Safi province is ramping up efforts to ensure a reliable supply of potable water.
The province’s strategy involves prioritizing the installation of monobloc seawater desalination stations as part of an emergency plan to address and mitigate the impacts of the ongoing water deficit, with a particular focus on rural areas.
In Safi, three monobloc seawater desalination stations have been established as temporary solutions to guarantee a steady supply of drinking water in areas most at risk.
These facilities, with a combined capacity of 25 liters per second, were funded by MAD 48 million ($4.8 million) from the Ministry of the Interior.
They are strategically located in the communes of Ayir (10 liters per second), Lamaachate (10 liters per second), and El Beddouza (5 liters per second).
Since their installation, these desalination units, managed by Safi’s Autonomous Water and Electricity Distribution Authority (RADEEMA), have delivered a total of 32 million liters of water as of August.
Producing 1,800 tons of water daily, the stations effectively meet the needs of more than 45,000 residents in rural areas and nearby douars (villages).
Desalination stations to tackle water deficit
According to a statement from RADEEMA engineer Yassine El Meliari to MAP, RADEEMA intends to install 12 new stations to treat brackish water and make it drinkable.
The plan includes two units with capacities of 10 and 5 liters per second, along with ten stations, each capable of processing 3 liters per second, to be distributed across different areas of the province.
The initiative, which has an estimated cost of MAD 1.2 billion ($120 million), is funded by the Ministry of the Interior and the Marrakech-Safi Regional Council, to provide water to more than 97,000 residents in Safi.
This effort is part of the larger National Drinking Water Supply and Irrigation Program (PNAEPI), a strategic project running from 2020 to 2027 with an initial budget of MAD 115 billion ($11.3 billion).
The program encompasses the purchase of 44 monobloc desalination and demineralization units and the establishment of 219 monobloc stations, which will collectively manage over 70 million cubic meters of water annually to improve water security in rural areas.
The program also includes the acquisition of 1,209 tank trucks and 9,717 plastic tanks, along with a major budget for renting tank trucks, to ensure a reliable supply of drinking water to about 3 million people living in rural regions facing water shortages.
Earlier this month, also in a bid to alleviate the severe impacts of water shortages, the National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE) began the production phase of a major national project aimed at securing and providing water for Guercif and its surrounding areas.
The project, which has a total budget of around MAD 470 million ($47 million), is financed by ONEE with additional support from the African Development Bank (AfDB).
Read Also: Energy Recovery Secures $27.5 Million for Desalination Projects in Morocco
