Climate & Ecological Transition
28 July 2025
Water in Morocco: Between problem and hope, the challenges of a nation facing drought
K
Khaled Hamadé
IIEG Expert
A country on the verge of thirst
Morocco is currently experiencing an unprecedented water shortage. Long considered a model in terms of hydraulic policy, the Kingdom finds itself confronted with a prolonged drought, which is weakening its economy, its society and its environmental stability. From Casablanca to the Tadla countryside, the population lives to the rhythm of cuts, dry wells and compromised harvests. Since 2018, years of water stress have followed one another, culminating in 2024 with water availability falling to less than 500 m³ per inhabitant per year, the international water poverty threshold. Added to this is a drop in GDP to 3.2%, a fall of 38% in national livestock, and dams at less than 40% of their capacity.The royal response: a national strategy for water sovereignty
Faced with this emergency, the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI was decisive. In his speech of July 29, 2024, the Sovereign set a clear course: making the water issue an absolute national priority. Among the key measures:- Desalination: produce 1.7 billion m³ of water per year by 2030, with more than 17 stations, including the largest in Africa in Casablanca.
- Dams: 16 new large dams under construction, for an additional capacity of 4.4 billion m³.
- Inter-basin transfers: launch of the first water highways.
- Localized irrigation: equip 1 million hectares with drip irrigation by 2030.
Innovation at the heart of the response
The massive use of cutting-edge technologies marks a strategic breakthrough. Desalination, long marginal, is becoming central. The Casablanca station, supported by Veolia, will supply more than 7 million people. Other projects involve China or the United Arab Emirates, with stations running on solar energy to reduce their carbon footprint. In rural areas, precision irrigation is becoming widespread. In Tadla, more than 67,000 hectares have already been converted, resulting in water savings of 60% and increased yields. The use of sensors, analysis software and solar pumps paves the way for climate-smart agriculture. Even the industry is adapting: the OCP group is building a desalination plant in Jorf Lasfar, connected to a 219 km pipeline, to secure its operations while relieving public resources.Water diplomacy focused on Africa
Aware that the water crisis does not stop at borders, Morocco is deploying a true water diplomacy. It shares its know-how with several African countries, enters into technological partnerships (Hungary, Emirates), and positions its companies as key export players. This united approach makes Morocco a continental water management hub, capable of inspiring reproducible models in similar environments.Signs of hope…and a warning
After six critical years, 2025 marks an improvement in precipitation. The dams are regaining volume (+45% over one year), crops are restarting, and the water tables are starting to stabilize. But as the Minister of Equipment and Water reminds us, these rains should not lead to relaxation. Climate change requires a structural adaptation: alternation of long droughts and intense rainy episodes, reduced reliability of seasons, increased risks of conflicts of use.Morocco, model of adaptation in Africa
Water has become the mirror of national sovereignty. By building its production (desalination), storage (dams) and distribution (transfers) capacities, Morocco affirms its climate resilience. But this success is only possible with the involvement of everyone:- the State which invests,
- farmers who modernize,
- industrialists who optimize,
- and citizens who save.