Seven year drought ends in Morocco amid rain and snow
The Moroccan government declared the country’s seven-year drought over on 12th January, with the extreme winter weather replenishing water resources in the Kingdom, according to a report in Moroccan government-friendly Hespress.
In an address to the lower house of parliament, Minister of Equipment and Water, Nizar Baraka, announced rainfall totalled 108 millimetres from 1st September to 12th January. Baraka said this marked a 95 percent rise from the same period last year and a 17.6 percent increase from the average.
The drought represented a persistent issue for the Moroccan economy, especially in agriculture, with livestock numbers falling by 38% since 2016.
The Moroccan government has attempted to mitigate water scarcity issues, investing $700 million in water diversification projects for the country’s densely populated areas.
Despite ending the drought, recent unprecedented rain and snowfall has created additional challenges for infrastructure. Between December 12th and January 8th, dam storage levels in the country rose from 31.1 percent to 45.26 percent, with over 32 dams announcing fill rates above 100 percent.
The Minister of Equipment and Water described the winter snow cover as “exceptional,” with coverage recorded at 55,495 square kilometres before declining to 25,000 square kilometres. Mountainous areas in particular have received heavy snowfall, including reports of depths between one and two metres above 2500m.
Baraka estimated the recent precipitation had given Morocco a year’s supply of drinking water but warned of the necessity to create long-term water supplies. He stressed the need for further desalination of seawater projects, reiterating his December announcement that 60% of the country’s water must be produced using the process.
He listed ongoing desalination projects in Nador, Driouch and Tangier, alongside plans for new establishments in Souss-Massa, Tiznit, Guelmim, Tan-Tan and Rabat over the next year.
The Minister repeated his commitment to improving the national water network, labelled the “water highway.” The plans will aim to increase water security, through the connection of the Oued Laou and Loukkos basins to the Oum Er-Rbia basin and other regions.
Baraka predicted the renewed supplies would boost agricultural planning and access to water in rural regions but maintained that “proactive efforts must continue” if the issues of irregularity in the climate and lasting water security are to be addressed.
Hespress, Maghrebi.org
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