The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and Global Environment Facility approved a 130 million MAD loan to the Guelmim-Oued Noun region in Morocco to improve drinking water supply in rural areas and to upgrade four existing wastewater treatment plants, said EBRD on Wednesday.
This is a synergistic investment that will kickstart the region’s involvement in the “EBRD Green Cities” initiative and advance Morocco’s environmental goal by assisting in the transformation of one of its primary areas of need.
The EBRD will co-finance investments targeted at boosting access to drinking water for families in rural parts of Guelmim province by upgrading and expanding drinking water infrastructure, consequently minimizing water losses in the supply network. This investment will address regional inequities and encourage more effective water use.
The funds will be supplemented with a one million dollar grant from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) under the framework of the Environmental Technology Transfer (ENVITECC) program.
Together with EBRD financing, the GEF award will co-finance the upgrade of four wastewater treatment facilities and recycling systems in the cities of Guelmim, Lakhssas, Tan Tan, and Mirleft.
These improvements will conserve a sizeable quantity of water in that roughly ten million cubic meters of treated wastewater will be reused each year for watering green areas and green belts around the region. The investment will thereby support the circular economy as an appropriate framework for long-term water management.
An EU-funded technical support component will assist the region in identifying acceptable operational and maintenance solutions for rural water supply systems, as well as a sustainable management approach for using recycled water to guarantee that the investments yield long-term benefits.
Nandita Parshad, EBRD Managing Director for Sustainable Infrastructure, said that this project will “ensure access to clean drinking water and on sustainability with pioneering water recycling solutions for green spaces.”
President of the Guelmim-Oued Noun region, Mbarka Bouaida, added, “Guelmim Oued Noun will be the first region in Morocco to benefit from a local currency loan from an international financial institution. Joining the EBRD’s Green Cities program is also a crucial step in advancing the region’s commitment to a sustainable and climate-resilient future, in accordance with the aspirations of our regional development plan and steering us towards achieving carbon neutrality by 2035.”