Marrakech – The National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE) launched a strategic water project on Wednesday to secure the drinking water supply for the Souss-Massa region.
The initiative aims to address the alarming water deficit in the area through the doubling of a key section of the regional water pipeline from the Moulay Abdellah Dam, located north of Agadir.
ONEE Director General Tarik Hamane and Souss-Massa Regional Wali Said Amzazi, Governor of Agadir Ida Outanane Prefecture, officially inaugurated the project. The MAD 132 million ($13.2 million) investment is part of Morocco’s broader water stress management program.
The project involves the supply, transport, and installation of 13 km of steel-coated adduction pipes with a diameter of 1,000 mm. These pipes will transfer water from the Tamri treatment station, which has an expanded capacity of 1,100 liters per second, to Agadir’s reservoirs.
Additionally, the infrastructure will transport drinking water produced by two monobloc desalination stations currently under construction, which will add another 200 liters per second to the region’s water capacity.
The initiative will also strengthen the region’s water security during maintenance periods of the Chtouka Ait Baha seawater desalination station. It will enhance flexibility in managing surface water resources from both the Abdelmoumen and Moulay Abdellah dams.
ONEE is financing the project through a loan from the Islamic Development Bank (IDB). The system is expected to be operational by December.
The project was launched during celebrations of the 72nd anniversary of the Revolution of the King and the People and the Youth Day.
The project aligns with King Mohammed VI’s directives to combat water scarcity in Morocco. In his 2024 Throne Day speech, the King stressed the urgency of addressing Morocco’s water crisis, noting that water availability had dropped from 2,000 cubic meters per capita in 1960 to less than 600 cubic meters.
He called for accelerated implementation of major water transfer projects between hydraulic basins and construction of seawater desalination plants.
More recently, in his 2025 Throne Day, the monarch emphasized the need for “a proactive and sustainable water resources management model, given the worsening water stress and climate change,” particularly as Morocco faces significant water challenges following “successive years of drought.”
The King announced the launch of “large-scale projects in the fields of water and food security,” recognizing water security as one of Morocco’s most pressing challenges.
This focus on water management is a key pillar of Morocco’s new integrated territorial development program, called for by the sovereign, which aims to ensure a dignified life for all Moroccan citizens.
Sustainable water resource management has been identified as one of the four essential pillars of this national initiative, alongside job creation, strengthening basic social services, and launching integrated territorial development projects that guarantee wider regionalization and reject what the King described as a “Morocco moving at two speeds.”
The program seeks to ensure that development benefits reach all citizens, regardless of their social group or region.
