Rabat- The head of Morocco’s National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE) in the Fez region, Mohammed Berkia, has announced that the office is adopting projects to improve potable water supply in Al Hoceima until 2035.
Berkia said in a statement to the state-owned press, Maghreb Arab Press (MAP), that the ONEE’s projects aim to solve the problem of potable water in the Rif region and provide supplementary water for laundry and other uses.
Berkia revealed that the projects will cost an estimated MAD 714 million. The government has budgeted MAD 900 million for the project, which will launch by the end of the year.
The muddy waters of the Ben Abdelkrim El Khattabi reservoir dam in Al Hoceima have contributed to a shortage of clean water in the region, making it insufficient for the population’s daily needs.
With respect to potable water supply in urban areas, the office will invest MAD 300 million to carry out the project until 2035. The water flow speed in the region will reach 200 liters per second.
The projects also include the treatment of seawater to be preserved in a tank with a capacity of 2,000 cubic meters.
To increase water supply in the rural areas of the Rif region, Berkia announced that 13 new dam reservoirs will be built at a cost of MAD 330 million.
The project is within the framework of King Mohammed VI’s Manarat Al Moutawsit development program.
The implementation of the program has suffered a slow start and did not meet a strategic vision integrated and shared by all stakeholders, according to the Court of Auditors. The court noted that most stakeholders at both central and local levels were significantly delayed in carrying out their duties for the program.
In October 2017, the King sacked several ministers and high officials who operated in the previous government lead by Abdelilah Benkirane.
