When King Mohamed VI gave his annual Throne Day Speech on 29 July marking the 25^th anniversary of his accession, his main focus was the water crisis which has escalated to alarming levels. Morocco has suffered six consecutive years of low rainfall and drought which, combined with frequent heat waves, have had a profound impact on its water reserves and resources. Water levels in the country’s reservoirs are critically low. For example, its second largest dam — the Al-Massira Dam which is located between Casablanca and Marrakesh — currently only has 3% of the average amount of water that it had almost a decade ago. 

The situation in rural areas has been particularly critical with inhabitants organising so-called ‘Thirst Marches’ each year to protest at the lack of water, but the shortages are increasingly impacting the country’s towns and cities. Casablanca’s mayor Nabila Rmili has noted that there are no longer sufficient reserves to meet the city’s needs. She explained that its council had introduced a series of extraordinary emergency measures during the past four months to try to alleviate the problem and to prevent cuts to drinking water supply in the southern regions of Casablanca, Dar Bouazza, and Nouaceur. These include: reducing water flow by 10%; closing hammams (public baths) three days a week; and preventing car washes from operating for part of the week. The city has also stopped washing the streets and public spaces and no longer waters green areas and football stadiums with drinkable water. It is trying to clamp down on people illegally taking water from unauthorised wells or from pipes as well. 

However, the situation is so dire that this summer has seen controlled water cuts implemented in several towns and cities, including Casablanca, but also Settat, Sidi Bennour and El-Jadida. In Settat for example, water is routinely cut from 22:00 until 06:00. 

The king described the crisis as one of ‘the greatest challenges facing the Kingdom today’ but did not only blame it on the drought, climate change and a growing demand on water for the situation. He also cited the delays in implementing some of the water policy projects because, while Morocco has a water strategy, there are serious problems in its application. 

This includes the dam construction programme. Although it has built more than 50 large and medium sized dams, there are more under construction and they need to be completed fast. The king called for this to be finished quickly and emphasised the need to prioritise those planned in areas that receive significant rainfall. He also wants to see the acceleration of the construction of sesalination plants. He stated, ‘The greatest challenge remains the completion of the plants programmed and the related renewable energy projects on time and without delay.’ The monarch called for the development of a national water desalination industry and for the training of engineers and technicians, warning, ‘there is no room for any negligence, delay or mismanagement.’ 

Morocco plans to supply more than half of its drinking water needs by 2030 through desalination plants but this is an ambitious, given the delays in implementation. The Casablanca desalination plant is a case in point. It is to be powered entirely by renewable energy and will be Africa’s largest and the second largest in the world. Begun in 2020, however, it has been beset with delays and is not expected to be completed until 2026. 

The speech was therefore the king’s way of telling the government to gets its act together and accelerate the implementation of the water policy before the crisis completely spirals out of control. It certainly prompted some action. After the speech, Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch chaired a steering committee meeting of the National Drinking Water Supply and Irrigation Programme 2020-2027 in the northern city of M’diq. Participants — including Water and Equipment Minister, Nizar Baraka; Agriculture Minister, Mohamed Sadiki; and Interior Minister, Abdelouafi Laftit — focused on ways to boost implementation and manage investments in the water sector. 

Akhannouch urged the relevant departments and stakeholders to fast-track water-related projects and investments, and announced that the committee would increase the frequency of its meetings in order to closely monitor progress. The government is therefore responding to the king’s directives and is currently focusing on the issue but it will need to continue to do so if it is to have any hope of tackling the problem. The measures taken so far have clearly been insufficient, and unless Morocco employs a more radical approach and actually implements what it has planned, the situation is only going to get worse with potentially devastating social consequences. 

The August 2024 issue of Morocco Focus also includes the following:

Foreign Relations

• France shifts position on Western Sahara…
• Implications

Politics

• King Mohamed VI celebrates 25 years on the throne… 
• Yet more talk of a cabinet reshuffle
• Throne Day clemency for 2,460 prisoners

Energy & Economy

• Unemployment continues to increase