The government of Morocco through the National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE) has launched a major drinking water project in Ouarzazate (The door of the desert), a city and capital of Ouarzazate Province in Drâa-Tafilalet region of south-central Morocco.
The over US$ 22M project includes the construction of a drinking water plant with a 500 m³ storage reservoir. It also involves the construction of water intake in the Sultan Moulay Ali Cherif dam from which water will be pumped and transported to the plant through a 5.8 km pipeline at 250m³ per second.
The project is launched in a context marked by the increase of water levels in reservoirs throughout the Kingdom.
The increase of water levels in reservoirs throughout Morocco
Between April 28th and March 18th this year, according to data provided by the Moroccan Ministry of Equipment, Transport, Logistics, and Water, the country recorded relatively significant rainfall occurrences, consequently impacting the water situation over a large part of the national territory.
For instance, these rainfalls led to the rise of the overall water levels in dams from 46.2% as of mid-March to about 49.7% late last month. That is a contribution of at least 1 billion and 50 million m³.
Expectations for the project
Upon completion, the drinking water project is expected to strengthen the drinking water supply of the Ouarzazate city which has more than 700,000 inhabitants as well as that of its surrounding areas including the center of Ghessate and the neighboring douars, the commune of Aït Zineb, the commune of Tarmigte, as well as the center of Taznakhte and the neighboring douars.
The project is part of the national program for drinking water supply and irrigation 2020-2027, in which the government intends to invest up to US$ 12bn for the construction of drinking water and irrigation infrastructure.