Morocco is stepping up investments in desalination plants, water transfer systems, and new dam construction to tackle the country’s prolonged drought and growing water demand from both agriculture and urban populations, according to Water Minister Nizar Baraka.
Speaking at a conference on Morocco’s water challenges hosted by Medias24 in Casablanca, Baraka highlighted the urgent need for resilient water infrastructure as years of recurring drought have severely depleted resources, reduced the national cattle herd, and contributed to rising food prices and unemployment.
Morocco currently operates 17 desalination plants. Four additional facilities are under construction, and the government has plans to build nine more. These efforts are part of a national strategy to achieve a total desalination capacity of 1.7 billion cubic meters per year by 2030.
The initiative is central to Morocco’s long-term water security plan, aiming to reduce dependency on rainfall and diversify sources to meet the needs of a growing population and key sectors such as agriculture and industry.