In recent weeks, the situation of dams in Morocco has worsened, with a daily decrease in the filling level, which is lower than last year at the same time. This situation raises fears of a water crisis during the upcoming summer season, especially with the continued rise in temperatures.
According to figures from the General Directorate of Water Engineering under the Ministry of Equipment and Water, the water stock of Moroccan dams has increased from 5579 million cubic meters at the beginning of April 2023. to 5429.1 million cubic meters recorded as of April 20.
Although the Kingdom’s overall occupancy rate exceeded that recorded on the same date last year (34.6% against 33.4%), it declined until yesterday, reaching its lowest level compared to that of last year (33.7 against 34.3).
Experts predict a continuation of this decline in the storage reserves of Moroccan dams, due to the decrease in rainfall on the national territory in the last two months, combined with a continuous increase in temperatures reaching 40 degrees in some regions, according to the General Directorate of Meteorology.
Commenting on these figures, Mohamed Benata, agricultural engineer, Doctor of Geography and fervent defender of the environment, warned against this situation ” worrying“. He pointed out that these figures reflect a state “ catastrophic“, which can be observed with the naked eye while passing by some of the scattered dams of the Kingdom.
Thus, Benata expressed his concern about the lack of rainfall during the month of April and then this beginning of May, stating that ” the most serious thing about this situation is that, alongside the loss of millions of cubic meters of water from dams daily, we continue to deplete our strategic stock of groundwater“.
Faced with this situation, the ecologist pointed out the need for an emergency plan to manage the remaining groundwater which he considers ” our lifeline in the future“, calling in this sense to prevent large farmers who deplete this resource by digging illegal wells to water products intended mainly for export, while asking the government to ban these practices and not to support them.
In short, it is urgent to take concrete measures to deal with the water crisis in Morocco, in particular by managing groundwater resources responsibly and avoiding any abusive exploitation.