Moroccan Minister Slams Delays in Dakhla Desalination Plant Project

Concrete pillars, some machinery and excavated areas... During an inspection visit on Friday, the Minister of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Water and Forests, Ahmed El Bouari, observed on site the slow pace of construction of the seawater desalination plant in the city of Dakhla. Enough to anger him, as the execution deadline for this project launched in August 2024 is 15 months. "What you’re doing is far too behind schedule," he told the managers of the two companies in charge of the work, before calling for an acceleration of the execution pace.

According to Rue20, the minister’s anger would be translated by his fear of seeing the project not delivered on time, and of being reprimanded by King Mohammed VI. The sovereign had devoted a significant part of his speech on the occasion of the Throne Day to the call for acceleration of water infrastructure projects, foremost among which are seawater desalination plants. He returned to these projects in his last throne speech. No tolerance would be allowed regarding the execution of water-related projects, he had emphasized, calling for the implementation of major desalination projects.

The seawater desalination plant in the city of Dakhla should be built on an area of about 5000 hectares. Its investment is estimated at about 2 billion dirhams. This project should play a central role in strengthening water infrastructure and supporting agricultural activities in the Southern provinces.