Amid water shortage and drought that the Kingdom is going through for years, Morocco’s National Utilities Firm (ONEE) called on citizens to save drinking water during the upcoming Eid Al Adha (sacrifice feast) celebrations, which begin on Monday.
This request is part of measures aimed at protecting water resources and maintaining a continuous supply of drinking water, particularly ahead of Eid Al Adha, ONEE said in a press release.
“Given the heatwave that Morocco is experiencing during the summer period, which coincides with Eid Al Adha, the demand for drinking water has significantly increased amidst the current situation marked by a sharp decline in water resources due to low rainfall and successive years of drought,” ONEE added.
It further stated that its personnel have been striving to assure the delivery of drinking water under the “best possible conditions.”
Morocco has adopted several strategies to face climate change and water scarcity via dams constructions, seawater desalination, as Crown Prince Moulay Hassan had recently launched the construction of the largest desalination plant in Africa, river highways connecting dams and basins, and water-saving programs in the agricultural sector.
In April, five of Morocco’s dams were operating at full capacity, including the Chefchaouen Dam, Charif Al Idrissi Dam, Nakhla Dam, Oued Za Dam, and Bouhouda Dam. Two others, the Allal Fassi Dam and Sidi Driss Dam, were at more than 90% capacity.
In the Moulouya region in northeast Morocco, major dams experienced a 27.42% filling rate, attributed by the Moulouya Basin Water Agency to recent rainfall.
Specifically, the Mohammed V Dam was at 26% capacity (42.837 million cubic meters), Oued Za Dam was at 53% (118.947 million cubic meters), Mechraa Hommadi Dam was at 60% (2.806 million cubic meters), Tamalout Dam was at 16% (7.252 million cubic meters), Enjil Dam was at 7% (0.645 million cubic meters), and Hassan II Dam was at 14% (48.292 million cubic meters).