Rabat – Morocco is facing an intensifying water crisis, with new challenges emerging each year.
This growing scarcity is driven by alarming factors such as climate change, population growth, and outdated water use practices.
Morocco’s efforts to combat water scarcity include imposing water restrictions on activities like hammams and car washing, alongside discouraging other wasteful water practices.
Meanwhile, the government has allocated substantial budgets to key initiatives, such as desalination projects that leverage the country’s vast coastlines and the promotion of greywater recycling as a sustainable resource. While these measures are vital for ensuring the nation’s water security, they address only part of the broader challenge.
One such project, the Koudiat Borna dam in the Sidi Kacem province, is a central component of Morocco’s water infrastructure strategy and its development.
As of October 7, 2024, 89% of the construction is complete, and the dam is now expected to be operational by December 2024—14 months ahead of the initial timeline set for early 2026.
Once completed, the dam will have the capacity to store up to 12 million cubic meters of water annually, providing irrigation for 72,000 hectares of farmland in the Gharb plain, with 30,000 hectares to be developed in the first phase.
In addition to supporting agricultural production, the dam will address the growing water needs of the region’s population, particularly in the cities of Sidi Kacem and Sidi Slimane.
The project, with a budget of MAD 1.3 billion ($126 million), will also regulate river flows, which will play a major role in flood prevention.
In his 25th Throne Day speech, King Mohammed VI pointed out the urgent need for large-scale water projects in light of Morocco’s dwindling water resources, which have decreased from 2,000 cubic meters per capita in 1960 to under 600 cubic meters today.
He urged for ongoing revisions to the national water policy to guarantee access to drinking water for all citizens and to fulfill at least 80% of irrigation demands.
