On November 2nd, Nizar Baraka, Minister of Equipment and Water, announced during his presentation of the sub-budget draft for 2023 before the House of Representatives on Infrastructure, Energy, Minerals, and Environment, that the volume of water stocks with dam injections reached the beginning of the current month of roughly 4.03 billion m3, corresponding to 25% of total filling, compared to 35% on the same date last year.
Baraka noted that the beginning of the current hydrological year had seen moderate rainfall, which had helped some basins recover their water stocks.
According to a government official, the volume of imports reached at the start of the current year is 424 million m3, representing a 43% deficit compared to the annual rate and a 74% surplus compared to the previous year, with 2021 being the fourth hottest year since 1981, with average temperatures exceeding the usual 0.9° C for the 1981-2010 period.
In light of Morocco’s current drought crisis, Baraka explained that despite the decline in water stocks with dams, the needs for drinking water have been satisfactorily met through the use of desalination of seawater, mainly in Agadir, the strengthening of groundwater supplies, the linkage of aquifer systems, and a significant reduction in most watering supplies.
Similarly, the Minister stated that groundwater resources had been significantly depleted due to low rainfall and snowfall, as well as excessive water exploitation for drinking and watering purposes, emphasizing that most water tables had experienced record-low water levels ranging from -6,85m to minus 3m during the year.