Morocco sets water engineering standard for Africa – AfDB

Morocco has established a new civil engineering benchmark for Africa with the groundbreaking perforation of the Al Massira dam,addressing increasing water stress in the Marrakech region,according to the African Development Bank (AfDB).

Engineers successfully drilled through Morocco’s second-largest water reservoir,with a capacity of approximately 2.6 billion cubic meters,to create a new water intake that will supply drinking water to Marrakech’s two million residents at a rate of seven cubic meters per second,AfDB said in a press release Tuesday.

The complex operation required installing a 40-meter-high cofferdam weighing over 250 tons underwater on the dam wall to create a watertight workspace. Engineers then cut a conduit 2.5 meters in diameter and 10 meters deep through the reinforced concrete wall,extracting a 100-ton concrete block in the process.

This technical achievement “has proven its worth and can be replicated where necessary in Morocco and other African countries,” the Bank stated. The project forms part of a €150 million AfDB-funded program to improve Marrakech’s drinking water access amid growing urban development and climate change threats.

The Bank has maintained a strategic partnership with Morocco in the water sector since the 1970s,financing operations totaling over $1.5 billion.

Morocco’s dam policy dates back to reign of the late King Hassan II,who launched an ambitious program in 1967. Known as the “Builder of Dams,” he increased Morocco’s dam count from 13 at independence to over 100,with storage capacity growing from 2 billion to 15 billion cubic meters. Under King Mohammed VI,the country’s dam network has expanded to 149 dams with capacity exceeding 18.6 billion cubic meters.

The kingdom’s water initiatives have garnered international recognition,with French President Emmanuel Macron expressing admiration during his October 2024 visit,describing it as a holistic strategy that “France should take inspiration from.”

Morocco’s water infrastructure recently received a historic $14 billion investment from the United Arab Emirates for four desalination facilities that will collectively produce 900 million cubic meters of water annually using exclusively renewable energy. Additionally,Spain has committed €340 million toward Africa’s largest desalination plant in Casablanca,which will provide 300 million cubic meters of water annually for over seven million residents.