Join on WhatsApp
Join on Telegram
Rabat – A new international scientific study published this month in Nature has identified Morocco among the countries featured in a global mapping of greenhouse gas emissions originating from landfills.
The findings shed light on the ongoing challenges linked to waste management, particularly in major urban areas such as Casablanca, where the issue remains a central environmental concern.
For Morocco, the study focused on the Casablanca region to illustrate the contribution of landfill sites to national methane emissions.
Using high-resolution satellite detection methods, researchers were able to pinpoint emission sources with notable precision. To support their global results, the scientific team cross-referenced nearly 1,500 observations conducted across 151 landfills in 47 countries.
The research draws parallels with methane plumes observed in cities such as Charlotte in the US, Bucharest in Romania, Hyderabad in India, Guadalajara in Mexico, Córdoba in Argentina, Hong Kong in China, and Bangkok in Thailand.
Casablanca emerges as a key emission hotspot
Near Casablanca, the study identifies a major landfill emitting significant methane plumes that appear clearly on satellite imagery.
As such pollution is difficult to detect through traditional means, researchers underline the importance of real satellite-based measurements, which contrast with the often divergent estimates produced by conventional assessment methods.
According to the team, the most active emission zones are areas where waste is buried, unearthed, or sorted in open air, allowing gas to escape into the atmosphere.
While the study does not explicitly name the Mediouna landfill, researchers refer to “the landfill near Casablanca” as a clear example of this pattern.
Satellite data show that the sources of the methane plumes and surface activities at the site move gradually along a north-south axis, while a new section of the landfill expands to the southwest.
The environmental implications are considerable, given that Casablanca is the country’s most populated city, home to more than 3.2 million residents in 2024.
Across the Casablanca-Settat region, which has over seven million inhabitants, the metropolis generates thousands of tons of household and industrial waste. A substantial share still ends up in open-air dumps or sites facing persistent management challenges.
New landfill project aims to make impact
Researchers recall that methane is among the most harmful greenhouse gases, accounting for about 30% of human-driven global warming.
In landfills, methane production accelerates through the decomposition of organic waste in oxygen-poor conditions. Insights from the study could support the development of biogas capture programs.
Local authorities in Casablanca say they are working to mitigate the environmental impact by investing in the New Mediouna Landfill.
Spanning 260 hectares in the Mejjatia Ouled Taleb commune, the future waste treatment and recovery facility is expected to receive household and similar waste from Casablanca, as well as from the provinces of Mediouna and Nouaceur, amounting to an estimated 6,000 tons per day, according to the Regional Investment Center (CRI).
Once operational, the site is projected to process up to 4,400 tons daily.
The study was conducted by researchers from the Netherlands Institute for Space Research, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Canadian company GHG Sat, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), among other institutions.
