Morocco, where agriculture is a crucial sector, is heading for its sixth consecutive year of drought as rainfall has declined in recent months due to climate change, Morocco's equipment and development minister said on Thursday. “Water, Nizar Baraka.”
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“We have entered a critical phase, the likes of which our country has never experienced before, after five consecutive years of drought,” Baraka told a news conference.
Rainfall has fallen 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 for a new year of drought,” the minister added.
In Morocco, agriculture employs a third of the working-age population and accounts for 14% of the country's exports.
Water stress in Morocco was exacerbated by rising temperatures, which led to increased water evaporation in dams. The Ministry of Agriculture predicts average temperatures will rise by 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, representing “a very dangerous situation”, Mr Baraka said.
“Our hope is high for the next three months, which are (usually) the rainiest in our country,” he added.
Otherwise, local authorities in certain regions will have to turn off the water, usually at night.
Faced with increasing water shortages, authorities have turned to seawater desalination projects, such as the one whose construction will begin next month in Casablanca, the country's largest city with more than six million residents.
Morocco plans to build seven desalination stations with a total capacity of 143 million cubic meters per year by the end of 2027.
According to official information, there are currently twelve desalination plants in the country with a total capacity of 179.3 million cubic meters per year.