Casablanca – Morocco is intensifying efforts to secure reliable water supplies for its population as the country continues to confront one of the most severe drought cycles in decades. At a time when climate pressures, declining rainfall, and rising consumption are straining existing resources, the government is moving ahead with a comprehensive set of projects designed to strengthen long-term water security and minimize the vulnerability of households, agriculture, and industry.

Officials emphasize that the national strategy is built on three pillars: developing new water sources, optimizing the use of existing ones, and improving resilience to climate variability through modern technologies. Taken together, these measures aim to ensure that all regions of the country have access to sustainable water supplies despite the mounting challenges associated with prolonged dryness and increasing demand.

A major focus of Morocco’s plan is the rapid expansion of seawater desalination. The country has already completed 17 desalination plants with a combined annual capacity of 350 million cubic meters. These facilities currently play an essential role in supplying coastal cities where conventional water sources have become increasingly unreliable. The country is now accelerating a new phase of construction that will lift national desalination capacity to 1.7 billion cubic meters per year by 2030. According to officials, this level of output will cover around 60% of the country’s drinking water needs when the entire program is fully operational.

Most of the new plants are designed to run on renewable energy, a decision intended to reduce both operational costs and environmental impact. The integration of wind and solar power into desalination systems also forms part of a broader policy connecting water, energy, and food security under a unified national framework. This approach reflects the government’s aim to ensure that expanded water production does not increase Morocco’s dependence on fossil fuels or contribute to future financial burdens.

Alongside desalination, Morocco continues to invest heavily in dam construction and inter-basin water transfer projects. The national water transfer program—considered one of the most significant infrastructure initiatives undertaken in recent years—seeks to move water from regions with surplus supplies to those facing persistent shortages. The government views this system as essential to maintaining balance between the country’s hydrological basins and protecting both urban consumers and productive sectors from the effects of regional disparities in rainfall.

Morocco is also advancing efforts to reuse treated wastewater, a resource that has traditionally been underutilized. Treated water is increasingly directed toward agricultural irrigation and industrial operations, reducing pressure on drinking water reserves. Authorities plan to triple the country’s wastewater reuse capacity in the coming years, a step that could significantly relieve the demand for surface and groundwater while supporting economic activity.

Agriculture—one of the sectors most affected by water shortages—is also undergoing significant changes. Farmers are being encouraged to adopt high-efficiency irrigation technologies, including drip systems and intelligent sensors that adjust water use based on soil conditions and weather data. These innovations are accompanied by a broader shift toward crops that require less water and offer higher economic value per unit of consumption.

Urban water management is likewise being modernized. Several cities have begun implementing digital monitoring systems equipped with artificial intelligence to detect leaks in drinking water networks. Reducing losses within distribution systems is seen as a key priority, as leakage represents a significant portion of total water waste in many urban areas.

Other ongoing initiatives include the installation of floating solar panels on reservoirs to reduce evaporation while generating clean energy, the expansion of cloud-seeding operations guided by AI-based atmospheric modeling, and new research into extracting water from air humidity—an emerging technology powered by solar energy.

To improve resilience, Morocco has also upgraded its meteorological monitoring tools and early-warning systems. Localized climate maps are now being developed at the municipal level, enabling authorities to make faster operational decisions when facing extreme weather or drought conditions.

Despite the severity of the current crisis, officials maintain that the combination of expanded infrastructure, new technologies, and long-term planning is putting the country on a path toward greater water security. While challenges remain substantial, the government insists that the ongoing projects reflect a decisive shift toward sustainable resource management, aimed at ensuring that all Moroccans—regardless of region—have access to safe and dependable water supplies in the years ahead.