Morocco Cracks Down on Car Washes to Combat Water Shortage

After the awareness-raising phase, it is now time for repression against the uncontrolled use of drinking water in cities, in a context of drought that Morocco is going through. This closure operation is in line with the directives of the Ministry of the Interior, calling on local authorities to take a set of measures to eradicate the water stress affecting Morocco, reports Al Akhbar.

Before proceeding with the closure of these units, the authorities consulted their water consumption records to verify those that consume too much, the newspaper points out, adding that a one-week grace period had been granted to these garages in the affected neighborhoods to suspend their activity.

However, not all garages are affected by this action. Those using low-water or environmentally friendly processes can continue their activities. These include promoters who use groundwater, provided of course that the wells are authorized. The same applies to service stations that offer this service to their customers and use water-saving means.

For their part, the owners of the closed car wash garages have expressed their discontent, describing this measure as abusive. They accused the authorities of not offering them any alternatives. Among the support measures these owners would like to benefit from are subsidies to help them equip themselves with high-pressure pumps that are low in water consumption.