Casablanca – The recent heavy rainfall and thunderstorms across various provinces of Morocco have brought a much-needed boost to the country’s water reserves, particularly in rivers and streams that feed the nation’s major dams. As of Tuesday, October 15, 2024, Morocco’s dams have accumulated a total of 4.858 billion cubic meters of water, resulting in an overall fill rate of 29%. This marks a significant improvement from the 25% recorded during the same period last year.

Official data provided by the Ministry of Equipment and Water shows that water storage levels have risen by 0.4% in just one day, from Monday to Tuesday. The most notable improvements were observed in the Drâa-Oued Noun, Guir-Ziz-Ghris, and Tensift basins.

In the Tensift basin, the dam fill rate reached 45%, while the Guir-Ziz-Ghris basin saw an increase to 48.5%. The Drâa-Oued Noun basin also benefitted from the rains, reaching a fill rate of 30.46%. However, some regions, such as the Souss-Massa basin, are still experiencing water shortages, with a fill rate remaining low at 17.63%.

Despite the ongoing water stress in certain areas, several of the country’s key water basins in central, northern, and eastern regions have maintained stable levels. The Loukkos basin, for example, recorded a fill rate of 48.56%, followed by the Sebou basin at 40.88%, the Moulouya basin at 35.8%, and the Bouregreg basin at 33.12%. On the other hand, the situation remains critical in the Oum Er-Rbia basin, where the fill rate is still below 5%.

The recent rains have had a particularly positive impact on the Guir-Ziz-Ghris basin, where dams like “Hassan Addakhil” in Errachidia have seen a significant rise in water levels. The “Hassan Addakhil” dam now holds 178.3 million cubic meters of water, representing 57% of its total capacity, with 22.66 million cubic meters of water inflows from the recent downpours. Similarly, the “Kaddoussa” dam has reached 70.22 million cubic meters, which is 31.34% of its full capacity, thanks to an influx of 6.64 million cubic meters over the past weekend.

In the Souss-Massa basin, the Ministry of Equipment and Water reported that dams have received a total of 10.5 million cubic meters of water over the past two days. This has been especially beneficial for Oued Ghris, which witnessed significant water inflows following the intense rainfall in the southeast.

The latest data highlights that the Guir-Ziz-Ghris and “Maidar” areas saw substantial rainfall between Sunday and Monday morning, leading to increased groundwater recharge and inflows into the “Timguit” dam. The dam received an impressive 11 million cubic meters of water within just two days.

While the recent rainfall has provided some relief, water stress remains a pressing issue in various parts of the country. Authorities continue to monitor the situation closely, as sustainable water management remains a critical challenge for Morocco amid climate variability.