DR ‹ › Recent rainfall has significantly improved water security in the area managed by the Moulouya Hydraulic Basin Agency (ABH), where the conservation and strategic development of water resources remain pressing concerns. With climate change intensifying water scarcity, the ongoing drought over recent years poses a severe challenge, especially in Morocco's Oriental region. In a statement to MAP, Mostafa Bouazza, Secretary General of the Moulouya ABH, underscored the positive effects of the recent precipitation. Reservoirs have now reached an average fill rate of roughly 40%, equating to a total of 319 million cubic meters. This water is primarily stored in the basin's key dams: Oued Za Dam (152.72 million cubic meters), Mohammed V Dam (79.23 million cubic meters), and Hassan II Dam (74.33 million cubic meters). Morocco: Symptomatic of Overexploitation, the Mouth of the Moulouya River is Drying Up Highlighting that the current storage capacity of the basin's dams stands at around 800 million cubic meters, Bouazza noted ongoing efforts to upgrade hydraulic infrastructure. This includes the construction of the Targa Ou Madi Dam in Guercif province and the Beni Aziman Dam in Driouch province, alongside the elevation of the Mohammed V Dam in Nador province. These projects aim to boost the basin's storage capacity to approximately 1.936 billion cubic meters. Meanwhile, Abderrahmane Adli, who heads the Mohammed V Dam, pointed out that this dam, one of Morocco's oldest since its commissioning in 1967, is also among the largest in the Oriental region. It plays a vital role in agriculture, supplying drinking water, and generating hydroelectric power.
