Casablanca’s Water Leaks Fell, but Unaccounted-for Water Surged Nearly 50%
Physical leaks in Casablanca’s water network declined between 2016 and 2020. Over the same period, the volume of water consumed but not properly accounted for rose by nearly 50%, a new scientific study finds.
Published this month in the journal HydroResearch, the study analyzes technical, financial and operational data for Casablanca’s network between 2014 and 2020.
Over the period compared, the volume of water fed into the network rose from 198,33 million m³ in 2016 to 213,33 million in 2020. Total losses increased in parallel, from 44,87 to 48,39 million m³.
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This increase masks two opposite trends. Real losses, mainly caused by leaks in pipes, service connections and reservoirs, fell by 5,5%, from 33,98 to 32,10 million m³.
Apparent losses, by contrast, surged by 49,7%, from 10,88 to 16,29 million m³. This water did not necessarily leak into the ground: it was distributed, but was not properly measured or billed.
Water consumed but missing from the accounts
These losses may stem from inaccurate meters, errors in customer files or in the processing of meter readings, as well as unauthorized consumption. For the researchers, repairing pipes is no longer enough: Casablanca must also improve its meters, billing and data quality.
The network’s efficiency nevertheless remained close to 77% over the period, reaching 77,32% in 2020. The authors also calculated an economic level of leakage of 40,67 m³ per customer per year, compared with 35,65 m³ actually recorded in 2020.
This threshold is not a target. It simply indicates the level at which, under the model used, the cost of reducing losses across the network exceeds the financial value of the water saved. The study therefore recommends focusing interventions on the most problematic areas rather than making the same investments throughout the network.
The data end in 2020 and therefore do not describe the network’s current situation. They predate, in particular, the worsening pressures on Casablanca’s water supply and the new projects intended to secure the metropolis.
Another indicator nevertheless shows that technical progress remained insufficient: the infrastructure leakage index fell from 7,20 to 6,24, but remained far above the theoretical reference value of 1. The researchers therefore recommend continuing targeted repairs while also tackling the 16,29 million m³ that escaped metering and billing.
