Morocco, where agriculture is a crucial sector, is heading towards its sixth consecutive year of drought due to a drop in precipitation in recent months linked to climate change, the Moroccan Minister of Equipment and Development said on Thursday. ‘Water, Nizar Baraka.
“We have entered a critical phase after five consecutive years of drought that our country has never experienced before,” Baraka told a news conference.
Precipitation has decreased by 67% in recent months compared to a year considered normal and “the last three months (from October to December) show that we are heading towards a new year of drought,” added the minister.
In Morocco, agriculture employs a third of the working-age population and represents 14% of the country’s exports.
Water stress in Morocco has been exacerbated by rising temperatures, which has increased the evaporation of water in dams. The Ministry of Agriculture predicts an increase in average temperatures of 1.3 degrees Celsius by 2050.
The North African country’s reservoirs are currently only 23.5% full, compared to 31% at the same time last year, which constitutes “a very dangerous situation”, said Mr. Baraka.
“Our hope is great for the next three months which are (usually) the rainiest in our country,” he added.
Otherwise, local authorities will have to cut off the water in certain regions, generally at night.
Faced with increasing water stress, the authorities have bet on seawater desalination projects, such as the one whose construction will begin next month in Casablanca, the largest city in the country with more than six million inhabitants.
Morocco plans to build, by the end of 2027, seven desalination stations with a total capacity of 143 million cubic meters per year.
There are currently 12 desalination plants in the country, with a total capacity of 179.3 million cubic meters per year, according to official data.
