Rabat – The Oued El Makhazine dam has reached full capacity, bringing the total number of completely filled dams under the Loukkos Hydraulic Basin Agency (ABHL) to four.
The latest report from the Directorate of Hydraulic Engineering at the Ministry of Equipment and Water attributes this to a recent rainfall.
Water reserves in the region’s main dams now stand at over 1.17 billion cubic meters, averaging a filling rate of 61.38%.
Oued El Makhazine, the largest dam in the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, holds 672.86 million cubic meters. Charif Al Idrissi contains 121.65 million, Chefchaouen 12.24 million, and Nakhla 4.21 million.
Some dams have surpassed the halfway mark but remain below full capacity.
Tanger-Méditerranée has reached 69.33%, Smir 77.74%, Kharroub 54.91%, and Moulay El Hassan Ben El Mehdi 51.31%.
Others still hold significantly less water. Ibn Battouta stands at 48.53%, Mohamed Ben Abdelkrim Al Khattabi at 35.37%, Joumoua at 24.82%, Dar Khrofa at 23.25%, and the April 9 dam at 23.08%.
The recent rainfall has provided a much-needed boost to water reserves, though some dams still await higher inflows to meet growing demand.
Morocco has endured six years of drought, straining its water supplies and raising alarm for long-term supply. Even this year’s Eid Al-Adha sacrifice was canceled due to this water deficit.
As reservoirs shrink and agricultural communities suffer, the country has turned temporarily to desalination as an option, opening new facilities along its coast to break the dependency on rainfall.
However, despite these efforts, natural water sources remain critical. The recent heavy rains have come as a relief, filling large dams and providing hope for farmers and communities.
Yet, the question remains, are these rains truly enough to reverse years of shortages, or will Morocco need to accelerate its search for more sustainable water management strategies?
