Faced with an exceptional water shortage in the coastal region linking Rabat to Casablanca, an ambitious water transfer project between the Sebou and Bouregreg basins was inaugurated. This water highway aims to guarantee a continuous supply of drinking water for millions of inhabitants while optimizing the joint management of water resources. Implemented in just nine months, it marks an essential step in the fight against persistent drought in Morocco.
The project, which extends over a distance of 67 km, was launched in December 2022 and began operating gradually from August 28, 2023. “This transfer will make it possible to mobilize an annual volume of 560 million cubic meters of water from the Sebou basin, a surplus which was previously discharged into the Atlantic Ocean», declares Anouar Attar, head of the works department leading the interconnection project between the two basins.
According to the authorities, the project required an investment of 6 billion dirhams and includes a water intake at the El Kansera dam, two ultra-modern pumping stations capable of treating up to 15 cubic meters of water per second , as well as steel pipes with a diameter of 3,200 mm. “Thanks to this infrastructure, the capital and its region now benefit from a daily supply of 800,000 cubic meters, with a storage capacity of 400,000 cubic meters in the Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah dam», adds Attar.
The project to interconnect the Sebou and Bouregreg hydraulic basins to secure the water supply to the Rabat-Casablanca axis. . le360
Furthermore, the quality of the water transferred is subject to rigorous monitoring. “We carry out daily analyzes at six control points distributed along the Sebou wadi in order to guarantee optimal quality of the water supplied.», Explains Aïcha Aitaoual, head of the water resources monitoring, evaluation and planning service at the Sebou Hydraulic Basin Agency in Kénitra. She also specifies that detailed studies are underway to identify and eliminate sources of pollution, as part of a sanitation program for Wadi Sebou.
Read also: Water highway: the reserves of the Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah dam amount to more than 250 million m3
This project is part of the “National Program for Drinking Water Supply and Irrigation 2020-2027”, launched under royal directives. It mobilized high-level Moroccan skills. “This model could be replicated elsewhere, particularly in the northern and southern regions of the country.», concludes the manager.
The project was carried out thanks to the coordination of several ministerial departments, including the Ministry of Equipment and Water, the Ministry of Agriculture, as well as the Regional Agricultural Development Office (ORMWVA) of Gharb .
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