His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may Allah assist Him, chaired Tuesday at the Royal Palace in Rabat a follow-up working session on the National Drinking Water Supply and Irrigation Program for the period 2020-2027.
Here follows a statement by the Royal Office:
“His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may Allah assist Him, chaired, Tuesday at the Royal Palace in Rabat, a follow-up working session on the National Drinking Water Supply and Irrigation Program 2020-2027.
This meeting reflects the Interest and High Solicitude that His Majesty the King, may Allah assist Him, allocates to the strategic issue of water, which has been the subject of important Royal Directions included in the Parliament’s Inauguration Speech last October and three working sessions chaired by the Sovereign.
During this session, the Minister of Equipment and Water, Nizar Baraka, delivered a presentation to the Sovereign on the water situation and the progress of the implementation of the components of this Program.
Thus, in line with the High Royal Instructions aimed at accelerating this Program and updating its consistency, a significant additional investment has been granted, increasing the overall budget to MAD 143 billion. In this regard, the following measures have been taken:
- The acceleration of the project to interconnect water basins of Sebou, Bouregreg, and Oum Er-Rbia, with the ongoing implementation of the urgent 67 km long interconnection section;
- The programming of new dams and the updating of the costs of approximately twenty planned dams, allowing the expansion of 6.6 billion cubic meters (m3) of fresh water in the storage capacity;
- The acceleration of non-conventional water mobilization projects through the programming of seawater desalination plants and the increase of the capacities for the reuse of treated wastewater;
- The strengthening of drinking water supply to rural areas by extending coverage to more douars and mobilizing the relevant logistical and human resources.
Given the climatic and hydric situation that negatively impacted the agricultural campaign and the availability of pastures this year, His Majesty the King, may Allah assist Him, has instructed the government to activate, similar to the previous year, the Program’s emergency measures to face the consequences of drought.
Finally, the Sovereign urged the relevant departments and organizations to maintain their utmost vigilance in this vital field and be efficient in the implementation of the planned projects according to the fixed agenda.
This working session was attended by the Head of Government, Aziz Akhannouch, His Majesty’s Advisor, Fouad Ali El Himma, the Minister of Interior, Abdelouafi Laftit, the Minister of Economy and Finance, Nadia Fettah, the Minister of Equipment and Water, Nizar Baraka, the Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, Leila Benali, and the Director of the National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE), Abderrahim El Hafidi.”
