Morocco's dams are only 23% full, a far cry from last year's 31%

Drought dangerously threatens Morocco's water reserves

PHOTO/REUTERS - Some of the country's most important dams are approaching a level of drought that has set off alarm bells

The lack of rainfall in Morocco is putting the country's water supply at risk. While it is true that Rabat has been preparing for such situations in recent years, the current period of drought has led dams to reach dangerously low levels. They are only 23% full, a significant drop compared to 31% at the same time last year.

  1. Water reserves plummet
  2. Southern dams sustain the crisis situation
  3. Cloud seeding as a response to drought

Water reserves plummet

The latest figures from the Ministry of Equipment and Water have caused some concern among the authorities. Just over 3.7 billion cubic metres have been recorded, well below the 5.14 billion in the same stretch last 2023. The lack of rainfall has become the dominant trend in recent years, which has progressively depleted Morocco's reserves.

PHOTO/FILE - Water dam in Morocco

Some of the country's most important dams are approaching a level of drought that has set off alarm bells. The Alawi kingdom's largest, Al Wahda, located near the northern Atlas Mountains, is at 39% of capacity - 1.38 billion cubic metres - down from 57% in 2023, or 2.04 billion cubic metres.

The Loukko basin, located in the northwest of the country, has fallen by 20% compared to last year, when it reached 58% fill levels, dropping to 38% today, which translates to 666 million cubic metres.

PHOTO/FILE - Water dam in Morocco

In other regions, such as the Moulouya basin in northeast Morocco, the decline has been less pronounced, but has left levels too low. From 25% in 2023 it has fallen to a worrying 23%, although the drop is not as great as in the case of the Sebou basin, with a drop from 50% to a current level of 35%.

Southern dams sustain the crisis situation

Tansift, near Al Haoun, represents one of Morocco's greatest hopes. Unlike most of the country's basins, it has not only not declined, but has managed to increase its filling percentage compared to last year. It is currently at 48% of its capacity, well above the previous 39%.

The situation is the same for the Draa dam, located in the southwest, and the Guir Ziz Rheris dam, a little further east in Morocco. These, although far from the levels of the aforementioned dams, have risen to 20 and 26%, respectively.

PHOTO/FILE - Moroccan authorities tighten measures to curb water shortages

Cloud seeding as a response to drought

A technique pioneered by the United States in the 1940s is now being implemented in Morocco to alter cloud processes. It involves bombarding clouds with substances such as silver iodide or dry ice that serve as cloud condensation nuclei.

However, this is not entirely new in the Alawite kingdom, as the Al Ghait programme has been in place for 40 years. Now, what is being done is an expansion of the area in which this method is implemented. Abdelfettah Sahibi, director general of the National Meteorology, said that the results obtained have been very positive, which has led to a desire to extend it to other areas.

The cloud seeding carried out between November and April resulted in an increase in precipitation levels of between 14 and 17% thanks to 22 operations. It is precisely these good data that have motivated the Moroccan government to increase its investment, which between 2021 and 2023 amounted to 160 million dirhams - almost 15 million euros -.