Tánger en busca de paliar la falta de agua con una planta desaladora
With dwindling water reserves, caused in part by climate change and exacerbated by delayed rainfall, the city of Tangier and its region are threatened by water shortages. In search of a solution, the city of the Strait is preparing to launch a project that it believes will curb the water stress the area is undergoing. The project will consist of the creation of a seawater desalination plant with an initial investment of 22 million dirhams, as agreed with various companies at the ordinary session of the Regional Council of Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima (CR-TTA).
The aim of this partnership agreement linking the CR-TTA with the Ministry of the Interior, the Loukkoss Water Basin Agency, the Ministry of Equipment and Water and the Wilaya of the TTA region is to strengthen and secure the supply of drinking and industrial water in Tangier and its region. This seawater desalination project is part of the measures aimed at combating water shortages in the region in order to adapt to the consequences of climate change. All the signatory actors will have the task of working together to ensure the smooth running of all the stages, from the studies to the delivery of the project scheduled for 2024. This partnership will enable the technical and marine environment studies to be carried out for the realisation of this project.
It should be noted that in addition to approving the desalination plant project, the Council also reviewed and tested the plan to reuse wastewater from the irrigation system of the golf courses and green areas, thus obtaining more resources to avoid the water crisis generated by climate change.
In addition to these two approved items, the meeting also approved the region's budget for 2023 (953.3 million dirhams), which will help promote its economic, social, cultural and environmental sustainability. During the session, the consultants also approved other collaboration agreement projects, including the management of sustainable housing in Tangier and the restoration and maintenance of areas affected by last summer's forest fires throughout the region.
The development of these projects always requires the establishment of a well-defined strategy to meet the challenges of water management, but transcends the common sense of material and energy responsibility. The Tangiers-Tetouan-Al Hoceima Region does not intend to rest on its laurels. Therefore, an ambitious investment incentive plan is also in the pipeline. With the support of the Wilaya, in partnership with the Regional Investment Centre (CRI), this plan revolves around a fund of 1 billion dirhams over five years, or 200 million dirhams per year, which will materialise the implementation of several recommendations issued by the region's economic actors, in terms of support for investors.
The priority sectors are those that have helped to establish the region's reputation and put it on the world map of industrial production. We are thinking in particular of the automotive, textile, chemical and para-chemical and agri-food industries. As part of the decarbonisation process, renewable energies are also among the region's priorities. In addition, projects such as "Massar Al Mokawil" to map the entrepreneurial ecosystem and support mechanisms in the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceïma region are already operational, according to Hoy Marruecos. This project offers, through an inclusive and innovative platform, the mapping of the entrepreneurial ecosystem and the complete circuit through which an entrepreneur passes, as well as generic and specific entrepreneur support mechanisms and practical situation guides. Another project is the Local Energy and Climate Service (SLEC), which aims to support the energy and ecological transition by involving local actors through awareness-raising, training and territorial mobilisation actions, which will result in the creation of a sustainable development centre that will play the role of a driving force for urban governance.
All these projects have the same goal: to make Tangier and its region a prosperous, independent area that serves as an intermediary between the European continent and Africa.