صحافة بلادي صحيفة إلكترونية مغاربية متجددة على مدار الساعة تعنى بشؤون المغرب الجزائر ليبيا موريتانيا تونس
confirmedNizar Baraka, Minister of Equipment and Water, thatMoroccoThe period of drought that lasted for seven years has been overcome, thanks to the remarkable improvement in rain and snowfall, and the resulting increase in water imports and dam filling rates.
The Minister explained, on Monday, January 12, during the oral question session inHouse of RepresentativesThe period extending from September 1 to January 12 recorded rainfall amounting to 108 mm, an increase of 95 percent compared to the same period last year, and an excess of 17.6 percent compared to the normal rate.
Baraka pointed out that these indicators allow it to be said that the Kingdom has emerged from the “dry year” category, explaining that drought is defined by a decrease in precipitation by more than 20 percent compared to the average, while a positive surplus was recorded during the current season.
Regarding the snow cover, the Minister reported that exceptional precipitation had been recorded, as the area covered with snow reached about 55,495 square kilometers before it now declined to about 25,000 square kilometers, with thicknesses ranging between one and two meters recorded in mountainous areas whose height exceeds 2,500 meters.
The government official confirmed that this improvement was directly reflected in water imports, as the dam filling rate increased from 28 percent during the same period last year to 46 percent currently, equivalent to about 7.7 billion cubic meters. Water imports between September 1 and January 12 amounted to about 3.5 billion cubic meters, including 3.1 billion cubic meters during the last month only.
He added that a number of dams belonging to eight water basins recorded filling rates ranging between 80 and 100 percent, reviewing the status of the dams of Oued El Makhzen, Cherif El Idrissi, Nakhla, Chefchaouen and Ibn Battuta in the Lokos Basin, and the Allal El Fassi, Bab Louta and Bouhouda dams in the Sebou Basin, in addition to the Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdullah Dam in the Bouregreg Basin, which had a filling rate of 92 percent, which required the release of water to avoid the release of water. To exceed its carrying capacity.
According to the minister, the improvement included dams in other basins, including Oum Er Rbia, Tensift, Souss-Massa and Moulouya, as well as the Ziz Gris Basin, where the filling rate of the Hassan Dakhla Dam reached 71.5 percent, in addition to 37 small dams whose filling rate exceeded 100 percent.
Baraka stressed that these data made it possible, on average, to gain an additional year of drinking water reserves at the national level, while emphasizing in return the continuation of the water desalination policy, as projects were launched in a number of cities, including Nador, Driouch and Tangiers, with new stations being programmed during the coming year in Souss-Massa, Tiznit, Guelmim, Tan-Tan and Rabat.
The Minister concluded by emphasizing the continuation of implementing projects to connect the water basins, known as the “Water Highway,” in implementation of the royal directives, whereby Oued Laou and Loukos will be connected to the Oum Er Rbia Basin, in addition to starting during the current year to connect the Sebou Basin to the Bouregreg Basin and the Oum Er Rbia Basin.
Source:My press
