During this meeting, chaired by the Minister of Equipment and Water, Mr. Nizar Baraka, the agency's accounts for the 2023 financial year were closed, and its work program and draft budget for the 2025 financial year were presented, while reviewing the progress of the implementation of its 2024 budget.
In a speech on the occasion, the Minister recalled the importance of water and its strategic position in supporting the rapid pace of economic and social development in our country, pointing to the problem of structural drought that a number of regions of the Kingdom have been experiencing for the seventh consecutive year due to climate change and its impact on national water resources.
In this context, Mr. Baraka explained that the government's efforts are continuing at all levels to address the water issue in all its dimensions, recalling the High Royal Directives contained in the speech of His Majesty King Mohammed VI on the occasion of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the glorious Throne Day, where His Majesty emphasized the need to exert more effort and vigilance, and to create solutions and governance in managing the water issue.
After reviewing the Kingdom's most important achievements in the field of water, which were achieved thanks to the adoption of a proactive and dynamic water policy, the Minister highlighted that the activation of this policy has enabled our country to overcome difficult periods of drought and to ensure the continuity of drinking water supply in a satisfactory manner.
Mr. Baraka noted that the Ministry continues to update the National Water Strategy, taking into account the current state of national water resources under the influence of climate change, and is working to review and enrich the draft National Water Plan in light of the High Royal Directives and the results of the approved integrated water resources management master plans.
The Minister pointed out that the Sakia El Hamra and Oued Eddahab water basin witnessed during the past year the continuation of the rehabilitation works of the Sakia El Hamra dam, which was damaged by the 2016 floods, and for which the completion rate of the works reached 74 percent, the continuation of the construction of the Dakhla seawater desalination plant, the start of the operation of the Amkrio center seawater desalination plant, and the completion of 27 exploratory boreholes to support drinking water.
The Minister recalled that the Sakia El Hamra and Oued Eddahab basin experienced a noticeable deficit in rainfall during the 2023/2024 hydrological year, which negatively affected the level of groundwater aquifers, most of which witnessed a significant decline.
Mr. Baraka confirmed that given the problems that could arise from this situation in meeting all needs, the government continues to implement structured programs in the Sakia El Hamra and Oued Eddahab basin, where many projects have been programmed.
This concerns the expansion of the brackish water treatment plant in El Ouatia and Tan-Tan, the construction of hill lakes in the Smara province, the continuation of equipping water boreholes and completing exploratory borehole works, in addition to preparing preliminary technical studies for the construction of two small dams in each of the communes of Gueltat Zemmour in the Boujdour province and El Hagounia in the Tarfaya province, and the start of the implementation of the project to use treated wastewater for the cities of Laayoune and Dakhla for watering green spaces.
To limit the random exploitation of water resources, and within the framework of establishing the foundations of water governance, the Minister valued the preparation of the participatory management contract for water resources for the Dakhla aquifer, by the agency in coordination with all stakeholders and relevant services.
On another level, and within the framework of continuing to activate the High Royal Directives related to adopting transparent and regular communication towards citizens about the developments of the water situation, the Minister highlighted that the year 2024 witnessed the launch of the major national awareness campaign to enhance collective awareness of the need to save water consumption and adopt responsible and civic behavior towards it.
Mr. Baraka added that this campaign recorded record rates in the number of views of its awareness spots, noting that the Ministry has renewed and diversified the content of the "Al Ma Dialna" communication platform, as well as launching its new application on smartphones, while making its WhatsApp number available to report any practices related to water waste and any violation of the public water domain.
It should be noted that during this meeting, which was attended by the Wali of the Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra region, Governor of the Laayoune province Abdeslam Bekrate, and governors of the provinces of Smara, Boujdour, and Tarfaya, and a number of elected officials, and members of the Administrative Council of the Sakia El Hamra and Oued Eddahab Water Basin Agency, the participatory management contract for the Dakhla aquifer was approved, as well as four draft agreements concerning the water sector, and five concession contracts.
On the sidelines of this meeting, Mr. Nizar Baraka and his accompanying delegation made a field visit to the construction site of the Sakia El Hamra dam rehabilitation.
