Morocco Ends Drought as Northern Floods Trigger Army Rescue

The kingdom is recording a historic rainfall surplus. Cumulative precipitation in recent months has reached 360 millimeters, a level 54 % higher than the average of the past thirty years. This figure, 215 % higher than last year’s readings, officially marks the end of the arid cycle that had hit the country, as the government has confirmed.

To read: Flooding in Morocco: army urgently deployed to evacuate 20 000 people

This influx of water has enabled a spectacular replenishment of reserves. In a parliamentary response, Agriculture Minister Ahmed El Bouari stated that dams used for agriculture now hold more than 8.2 billion cubic meters. Their filling rate stands at 58 %, compared with a critical level of 25 % at the same time last year.

To read: Morocco: dams are full in the North… but drought still threatens the South

This climatic reversal comes after a deep crisis that reduced the national livestock herd by 38 %. The impact of the drought was so severe that authorities had to suspend the ritual sacrifice of Aïd al-Adha last June, an unprecedented decision in several decades to preserve the remaining livestock.

The sudden intensity of the rainfall nevertheless has a downside in the northwest of the country. In Ksar El Kébir, the army has remained deployed since Thursday to evacuate thousands of residents trapped by the flooding of the Loukkos River. Vigilance remains at its highest as the national weather service forecasts a peak in rainfall this Wednesday.