Module 045 · Water Intelligence
The Water
Equation
Morocco's crisis in one page
Morocco built 153 large dams in 65 years — more than any country in Africa. The storage capacity grew from 1.2 billion m³ to 20 billion m³. Then the rain stopped. Seven consecutive drought years (2018–2024) drained the reservoirs to 28% capacity. The aquifers dropped 2 metres a year. The equation broke.
Now: 17 desalination plants operational, 4 under construction, 11 more planned. A $45 billion National Water Plan. The race between depletion and infrastructure.
153
Large dams
20
Total dam capacity
Bn m³
7
Consecutive drought years
2018–2024
28%
Dam fill rate
(2024 low)
61%
Dam fill rate
(Jan 2026)
2m
Aquifer drop per year
avg
17
Desalination plants
operational
1.7
Desal target by 2030
Bn m³/yr
$45B
National Water Plan
2020–2050
80%
Water used by agriculture
Demand projected to reach 23.6 Bn m³ by 2030. Renewable supply falling with climate change. Desalination is the bridge — but it arrives in pieces.
Section I
The Dam Builders
Dam Storage Capacity · 1960–2025 (Billion m³)
Morocco built more dams than any other African country. The paradox: capacity grew 17× while the water inside shrank.
Section II
Where the Water Is
Morocco's nine river basins tell vastly different stories. The north recovered dramatically after winter 2025–26 rains. The south remains in crisis. Oum Er-Rbia — which feeds Casablanca, Marrakech, and El Jadida — holds just 9% of capacity. Al Massira dam: 3.4% full.
River Basin Fill Rates · Late 2025
Section III
The Invisible Crisis
Dams are visible. Aquifers are not. Underground, Morocco's water table has dropped 20 to 65 metres in the last 30–60 years. Groundwater extraction exceeds recharge by an estimated 1–3 billion m³ per year. Over 20,000 wells pump the Souss alone. By 2040, 20 reservoirs will be completely silted.
Aquifer Depletion · Water table drop (metres)
Section IV
The Response
Morocco is building the largest desalination network in Africa. The Casablanca plant alone will serve 7.5 million people. Target: 1.7 billion m³ of desalinated water per year by 2030 — enough to replace the entire current groundwater extraction deficit. Powered increasingly by wind and solar.
Desalination Plants · Capacity in 1000s m³/day
Largest in Africa. 7.5M people served. Phase I: 548K m³/day. Full: 822K by 2028.
Expanding to 400K m³/day by end 2026. Largest dual-use plant in world.
Eastern Morocco. Agriculture + urban supply.
Wind-powered. 78% complete.
OCP partnership. Industrial + municipal.
OCP Group industrial use + drinking water.
Serves southern provinces.
Section V
The Numbers Nobody Mentions
100M tonnes/year
Sediment deposited in Morocco's dam reservoirs annually. 60% of upstream erosion ends up behind dam walls. The dams are silting themselves to death.
20 dams by 2040
Number of large dams projected to be completely silted. By 2050, half of all dam reservoirs will have lost 50% of their capacity to sediment.
500 m³/person/year
Projected per-capita water availability by 2030. The international threshold for “absolute water scarcity” is 500 m³. Morocco is approaching the line.
Sources
Dam capacity and fill rates: Morocco Ministry of Equipment and Water daily reports (2024–2026); World Bank Morocco CCDR Background Note: Water Scarcity and Droughts (2023). Aquifer depletion: Hssaisoune et al. (2020), “Moroccan Groundwater Resources and Evolution with Global Climate Changes,” Geosciences 10(2):81; Fanack Water country profile. Desalination: Morocco World News; Aquatech Trade; IDA Water. Basin data: Hespress, North Africa Post, Morocco World News (Dec 2025 – Feb 2026). National Water Plan: U.S. Commercial Service Morocco Water report; Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems (2025). Siltation projections: World Bank Morocco CCDR (2023).
Fill rate data for 2010–2024 are annual averages from Ministry of Equipment and Water. January 2026 figure (61.3%) is a point-in-time measurement reflecting exceptional winter rainfall.
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