Rabat – Morocco’s Minister of Equipment and Water Nizar Baraka has highlighted the country’s national policy and strategy in the field of Water Resources Management (WRM), saying that such policies have enabled Morocco to meet its water needs.
Baraka made the statement at the plenary session of the United Nations 2023 Water Conference, which is ongoing in New York between March 22 and 24.
He notably highlighted Morocco’s expertise in dam construction, noting that the country is home to 152 large dams with a storage capacity of more than 19 billion cubic meters.
Meanwhile, the construction of 16 other dams is underway, with a storage capacity of nearly 4.8 billion cubic meters, Baraka indicated, adding that the country also has 136 small dams.
He stressed Morocco’s commitment to the roadmap that King Mohammed VI outlined during his speech on the occasion of the opening of the first session of the second legislative year of the 11th legislature in October 2022.
“It has become urgent to address the water resource management issue, especially as Morocco is experiencing a period of severe drought – the most serious in more than three decades,” said King Mohammed VI in his speech.
Read also: Water Management: Morocco’s Greatest Threat or Opportunity?
The King particularly highlighted the 2020-2027 National Priority Program for Water, which includes the construction of seawater desalination plants and the implementation of a stronger water efficiency policy, among other projects.
Baraka echoed the monarch’s recommendations, stressing the need to resort to other sources to meet the country’s water needs, including desalination and wastewater treatment.
Other measures that Morocco implemented in this regard include the rationalization of water consumption and water desalination using renewable energy. Baraka noted that the desalination plant in the southern city of Dakhla has significantly reduced the cost of water production to $0.29 per cubic meter.
Co-hosted by the Netherlands and Tajikistan, the UN 2023 Water Conference brought together international stakeholders and global actors from all sectors, with the aim of creating the “political momentum needed to combat the global water challenges.”
