Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch said, on Monday, that the funding allocated to the National Program on Drinking and Irrigation Water (PNAEPI) will be increased from 115 to 150 billion MAD.
Speaking at the Lower House, Akhannouch said the measure will help beef up solutions linked to seawater desalination projects, dam construction, inter-basin water transfer and wastewater treatment.
Concerning seawater desalination plants, Morocco seeks to produce one billion cubic meters of water by 2030. To this end, the country will be conducting research and studies in Casablanca, Nador, Safi, Dakhla, El Jadida, Marrakesh, Essaouira, Guelmim, Tantan, and Tiznit.
For dam building, 20 large dams are under construction for a total cost estimated at 31 billion MAD and a storage capacity of up to 6.4 billion cubic meters. Three dams are nearing completion in the Khenifra region and the building works of three others will be launched in Beni Mellal, Agadir, and Azilal.
The Head of government deemed it necessary to rely on sustainable alternatives and options to ensure Morocco’s water security through the mobilization of extraordinary water resources, like treated wastewater that will save about 12 million cubic meters of water per year, at a cost of 454 mln MAD.
Morocco is experiencing an extreme drought episode, the worst in 40 years, according to the United Nations World Meteorological Organization (WMO).