Morocco invests in desalination, waterways to mitigate drought

Morocco is accelerating investments in desalination plants, water transfer projects and new dams to mitigate prolonged drought and meet rising demand from agriculture and cities, says water minister Nizar Baraka.

Years of drought have strained water resources, shrunk the national cattle herd and contributed to food price inflation and rising unemployment.

Morocco operates 17 desalination plants. It has four others under construction, and plans to build nine more, aiming for a total capacity of 1.7-billion m³ annually by 2030, Baraka told a conference on the country's water challenges held by Medias24 in Casablanca on Thursday.

Desalinated water will not be used for wheat due to cost concerns and the scale of agricultural land involved, but will free up more dam water for inland farms, he said.

Improved rainfall this year — though still below average — has seen dam filling rates rise to 39.2% as of June 11, from 31% a year earlier, Baraka said.

Despite years-long water stress, agriculture using underground water has expanded, along with fresh produce exports to Europe.

"There was a mismatch between the pace of agricultural policy and water policy ... exacerbated by climate change,” Baraka said.

Water-intensive crops like melons have been banned in Tata and reduced by 75% in Zagora, two key producing desert regions, he said.

With uneven rainfall across the country, a major waterway — that is already linking the water-rich northwest to Rabat and Casablanca — will be extended by 2030 to fill in dams supporting farmers in the drought-stricken regions of Doukala and Tadla.

The waterway is backed by Emirati funding, under a deal which also includes construction of a 1400km power line by 2030 to deliver renewable energy produced in the south to desalination plants across the country.

"Using renewable energy will help significantly reduce water costs," Baraka said.

Reuters