Casablanca Faces Severe Water Shortage: Restrictions Loom as Drought Intensifies

One of the first restrictive measures taken by the city authorities to cope with the water shortage would be to reduce the water pressure arriving in the taps, sources tell Le360. The severe drought that has been hitting the kingdom for three years has completely dried up the Al Massira dam that supplies a large part of the population (Casa Sud). "Casablancans still do not realize the risk if we maintain the same consumption habits. Because in the absence of rain, the available stocks risk being exhausted by next June," warns an elected official of the municipality.

The authorities have taken the measure of the situation and intend to act quickly. During a meeting held earlier this week, the Wali of the Casablanca-Settat region, Mohamed Mhidia, in the presence of the mayor of the city, Nabila Rmili, and representatives of the National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE) and Lydec, invited the various stakeholders to accelerate the ongoing projects, including the connection work to the water from the Bouregreg and the seawater desalination plant that will be operational from 2026.

The Wali asked the city authorities to take the necessary measures to start the construction of wastewater treatment and reuse stations (STEP), intended for the watering of green spaces and golf courses, in particular those of Médiouna and El Hank whose tenders have just been launched by the local development company Casa Baïa. ONEE and Lydec were in turn invited to accelerate the work on the new Casa Nord-Casa Sud pipeline, connected to the new water highway from the Oued Sebou and the Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah dam.

New restrictive measures could be taken. "We are in a deficit situation between the available water resources and the consumption needs. The impact of this gap could be felt by consumers from spring 2024, with possible measures to restrict water supply to be confirmed in coordination with the authorities and depending on the evolution of the water situation," explains Saâd Azzaoui, director of project management at Lydec.