Faced with water shortage, Spain opts for the Moroccan solution

Faced with the scarcity of precipitation which is drying up water reservoirs whose capacities have fallen to 29%, the Moroccan government has decided, among other things, to cause rain using the cloud seeding technique, and to build desalination stations. of sea water to guarantee access to drinking water for populations, particularly farmers.

The kingdom will build on the Atlantic coast, near Rabat, the largest desalination plant in Africa and the second largest in the world. With a production capacity of 822,000 cubic meters per day, it will supply drinking water to the regions of Rabat-Salé-Kénitra (Atlantic coast) and Fez-Meknes (center).

Read: Morocco: desalination stations to save agriculture

Also affected by drought for several years, Spain wants to draw inspiration from the Moroccan model. According to El Periódico de Catalunyathe authorities of the peninsula are considering creating desalination stations to combat water shortages, particularly in the regions of Catalonia and Andalusia, which are particularly affected.

In addition to the Tordera and El Prat desalination plants which are operating, and the one in the northern Costa Brava currently under construction and expected to be operational by 2032, Spain is planning the expansion of the Tordera II desalination in Blanes (Girona) in order to increase its capacity from 20 to 80 cubic hectometers of water in 2029 and thus bring an additional 280 cubic hectometers of water to Catalonia by 2030.