Casablanca Imposes Water Restrictions on Hammams and Car Washes Amid Drought Crisis

The severe drought that has hit the city of Casablanca for a few weeks has led to a water shortage and the near drying up of the Al Massira dam. Faced with the situation, the city authorities have once again imposed water restrictions on hammams and car wash stations.

The measure came into effect this Monday, August 12. These establishments will now be closed three days a week, on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. As a result, several car wash stations, including those using well water, as well as hammams, did not open their doors on Monday.

The water situation in Casablanca is "critical and worrying," said Mayor Nabila Rmili on Wednesday during an extraordinary session of the city council, stressing that the interconnection carried out with the Bouregreg water basin has not made it possible to meet the city’s drinking water needs.

The mayor of the city had announced her decision to reduce the flow of water in the drinking water distribution network of the city by 10% and to supply it with desalinated water from the Jorf Lasfar station via new pipelines, pending the operationalization of the desalination plant.