Dams: Fill levels well below average
Morocco continues to face a worrying water situation. As of Monday, August 4, 2025, the overall dam fill rate stands at 35.3%, which corresponds to approximately 5,920 million m³ of available water resources, according to Maadialna.ma, an information platform managed by the Ministry of Equipment and Water.
This level remains well below requirements, especially during the summer when consumption increases. By comparison, the fill rate reached 36.5% on Monday, July 21, 2025, and 35.8% on Monday, July 28, 2025, according to the website. This represents a gradual decline. In principle, the decline in the fill rate over time is a normal development during the summer months, when there is less rainfall. These rates are well below the rate provided by the Directorate of Studies and Financial Forecasts (DEPF) in its July 2025 economic report. In fact, the volume of water stored in national dams reached 4.3 billion cubic meters on July 7, 2025, with a fill rate of 37.4%, up from 28.1% on September 18, 2024 (+9.3 points).
As of August 04, 2025, the water landscape presents striking contrasts, as shown by the indicators published on the Maadialna website. While the dam on Oued Za, in the Moulouya river basin, has reached its maximum fill rate with an impressive 100%, another reality is emerging. The Al Massira dam, one of the largest in the country and crucial for the Oum Errabia basin, is almost empty. With a level of only 4%, it symbolizes the immense challenge the country faces in ensuring water security. This situation highlights regional disparities and the heavy impact of prolonged drought cycles on vital water reservoirs. In addition to these extremes, there are contrasting situations between different river basins. While river basin regions such as Loukkos and Guir-Ziz-Rheris maintain levels above 50%, other river basin regions such as Souss Massa and Oum Er-Rabia are in serious difficulty with levels well below 20%.
The water situation in Morocco therefore reveals significant regional disparities. These contrasts highlight the crucial issue of water management at the national level. The indicators for the Oum Er-Rabia dam are particularly relevant for understanding the situation in Casablanca, as this basin is one of the main sources of water supply for the city. The low water level figures reveal that the Casablanca-Settat region, despite having a reservoir with a relatively better fill rate than others, remains under constant water stress. The city’s dependence on struggling dams such as Al Massira makes the commissioning of the future seawater desalination plant all the more crucial for the water security of the population.
Fatim-Zahra TOHRY
