Water needs in Morocco's main cities

The Moroccan platform Maa Dialna has identified the annual drinking water needs of the Kingdom's major cities. According to the organisation, these needs exceed 1.7 billion cubic metres per year, with Casablanca, Tangier and Marrakech topping the list of the biggest consumers of this vital resource.

Faced with the growing demand for drinking water, and amid the severe droughts affecting the country, the Ministry of Equipment and Water, in collaboration with other actors, is accelerating investments in this sector, following the directives of King Mohammed VI, who recently stressed ‘the importance of guaranteeing drinking water to all citizens’.

According to figures compiled by Maa Dialna, the city of Casablanca, considered the Kingdom's main economic metropolis, needs more than 207 million cubic metres to meet the needs of its population.

Rabat, the capital, on the other hand, needs 45.2 million cubic metres per year. To deal with this situation, the authorities have launched the project for a real connection between the Sebou and Bouregreg basins in order to guarantee the water supply of the Rabat-Casablanca corridor.

Marrakech, the country's other main city and leading tourist destination, needs more than 70 million cubic metres a year, mainly from the dams in the Tensift basin and the Al Massira dam in the Oum Er-Rbia basin.

In the north, the city of Tangier needs more than 71.3 million cubic metres a year, supplied by dams in the Loukkos basin region, while Tetouan needs more than 40 million cubic metres a year. Al Hoceima needs more than 4 million cubic metres a year.

In Fez, water needs reach 66.2 million cubic metres per year. In 2022, a major project made it possible to drill a large well in the Idriss I dam, which will guarantee a flow of 2,000 litres per second of drinking water.

In order to meet the needs of Agadir, where some 50 million cubic metres a year are required, a desalination plant was installed to overcome the effects of the drought and meet the demand for drinking water.

Salé's annual needs amount to approximately 42 million cubic metres, also covered by the actual project between Sebou and Bouregreg.

The town of Meknes needs about 41 million cubic metres. This town is supplied thanks to the boreholes drilled in the Idriss I dam, which guarantees water supply until 2030.

Oujda, due to its growing population, needs more than 30 million cubic metres a year, while in El Jadida the demand for water exceeds 22 million cubic metres, which is continuously met thanks to urgent measures, including a desalination plant built by the Sherifian Phosphate Office in Jorf Lasfar.

Safi's water needs are estimated at more than 14 million cubic metres, covered without interruption thanks to measures taken, including a desalination plant.

Finally, El Ayoun needs around 9 million cubic metres a year, while in Ouarzazate, annual needs exceed 5.5 million cubic metres, guaranteed despite periods of drought thanks to emergency measures.