By The North Africa Journal:
The entire sub-region of North Africa is the hardest hit by a drought that is causing disruptions to millions of households, businesses and farmers. The situation is probably the worst in the region’s history. Just like other countries in North Africa, Morocco is experiencing unprecedented pressure on its water supply.
One man tasked to fix this problem is Water Minister Nizar Baraka who pledged to multiply the volume of water produced from seawater desalination by tenfold from 140 million cubic meters today to 1.4 billion within six years. That’s a massive investment requirement and a monumental challenge for Mr. Baraka, yet it is doble as Morocco will have to commit such investments or risk witnessing destabilization and social unrest. If the desalination infrastructure is up and running by 2030, half of the country’s water will come from the sea and 70% of the Moroccan population will tap into that seawater.
Until then, people are going to have to ration their water consumption. Just this week, the authorities in Tangiers, northern Morocco, ordered the closing of public hammams (baths) three days a week. The order also affects car-washing businesses, with both sectors considered as massive consumers of water. During the authorized business hours, these entities will also see their operating hours reduced. These measures are likely to extend beyond Tangiers to all other cities.
