Rains exclude the southern regions, and the state is betting on increased seawater desalination

There is no sign of the rains that have been observed in many regions of Morocco in the desert regions of the Kingdom. The weather pattern remained severe last week, with no signs indicating the possibility of rain in the coming weeks, according to the meteorological service. Directorate.

And while the provinces of North, West, Casablanca and Sousse experienced significant rainfall, reviving the dams and the hopes of farmers for the resumption of the arable season, the large metropolitan areas of the southern provinces, from El Aaiun to Dakhla, did not know about any rain, except dense fog the day before yesterday, Thursday, in Dakhla.

Desert areas are suffering from drought, as evidenced by dams reaching total absence in some of them, including the Sakiya el-Hamra and Dakhla dams. However, the rate of compensation depends entirely on Morocco’s chances of expanding its seawater desalination plants, especially in light of the significant financial opportunities allocated.

The first seawater desalination plant built in the desert dates back to 1977 in Boujdour, followed by several stations in Akhfenir, Tarfania, Tan Tan and El Aaiun. A new desalination plant is expected to open in El Aaiun, in addition to the huge 5,000-hectare plant in Dakhla.

The government has allocated 4 billion dirhams to continue the completion of large and medium-sized dams and the liquidation of related properties. With 1.5 billion dirhams in government contributions to finance desalination projects and 1.4 billion dirhams in projects to bring potable water to village centers and roundabouts.

Abd al-Rahim al-Kassiri, national coordinator of the Moroccan Coalition for Climate and Sustainable Development, said that the desert climate is generally difficult, regardless of the current circumstances in which Morocco lives, stressing that the main stake in the south is to strike a balance between population demographics and water resources.

Al-Kasiri added in a statement to Hespress that pressure is rising sharply in the southern regions, stressing that seawater desalination is the main alternative, with the need to raise the water issue in any prospective development approach there, as well as water treatment and avoiding wastewater loss. useless.

In the same context, Mohamed Benabou, an expert on climate and sustainable development, explained that the bet on desert areas is related to the desalination of seawater, given that this step was taken by Morocco in the past, and the step has already been taken. succeeded in many cities. Including Boujdour, Akhfenir, Tarfaya and El Aaiun.

Benabou said in a statement to Hespress that the problem in the southern regions is the complex geography and the difficulty of building dams on the hills to hold back precipitation. However, there are important groundwaters to invest in, in addition to the fact that the cities of Guelmim and Sidi Ifni, for example, received significant rainfall.