Thirst awaits the residents of Casablanca!
The situation is critical in Casablanca. The municipality has just launched an appeal to Casablancans urging them to rationalize drinking water resources. Water-consuming activities are thus prohibited in the metropolis (watering green spaces, washing vehicles, cleaning public spaces, etc.). Local officials prefer for the time being to raise awareness among the populations, before arriving at more drastic measures (reduction of the flowrate, even cutting off the water supply). For now, the watchword is vigilance to avoid the worst and find alternatives to cutting service. This situation is due to the low rainfall which led to a shortage of dam reservoirs and groundwater. “The months of August and September do not experience any rainfall as a general rule, so it will still be necessary to hold out at least 3 months in the current situation”, explains Fouad Amraoui , university professor and president of the association called “Action for sustainable development”. In the meantime, it will be imperative to rationalize resources and raise awareness among users. “Morocco experienced a similar situation in the 1980s, but today the population has increased sharply and the demand for drinking water has exploded”, continues Amraoui, hence the need for an “electroshock” in order to encourage residents to realize the seriousness of the current situation. The worst, according to this researcher, is that “ we have no visibility on the years to come”. In the meantime, the seawater desalination station in Sidi Rahal remains embryonic (at the study stage). Its production can complement the water coming from dams, in particular for agricultural irrigation needs. The metropolis consumes on average the equivalent of 500,000 to 730,000 cubic meters per day and 219 million cubic
meters/year. The needs of the city come from two main sources, namely Oued Bouregreg (Sidi Mohammed ben Abdellah dam (107 million m3) and Oued Oum Er-Rbia (109 million m3). A minority contribution comes from 2 additional sources (Tit Mellil and Sidi Moussa Ben Ali), but the water situation in the Oum Er-Rbia basin is very critical given the low filling rate of the dams, in particular the Al Massira dam (5.5%), which supplies other cities (Marrakech, El Jadida, Safi, and Settat). In order to avoid compromising the supply of drinking water in the Southern zone served by this watershed (Marrakech and its region), the Casablanca water utility Lydec has reinforced the drinking water supply of the Greater Casablanca via the Bouregreg supply lines, replacing part of the water coming from the Oum Er-Rbia basin. Indeed, the situation of the Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah dam (Bouregreg river), which supplies Rabat and its coastline and part of Kenitra, is a little better with an occupancy rate of around 31%.
Aziza EL AFFAS
