Marrakech is set to receive desalinated seawater from Safi soon, as a major water supply project reaches its final stages.
The project is nearly complete, with work about 98% finished. It is expected to help secure drinking water supplies for Marrakech and nearby areas after years of drought and growing pressure on water resources.
Under the project, up to 100 million cubic metres of desalinated water will be sent each year from OCP’s desalination plant in Safi to Marrakech through a pipeline network stretching almost 185 kilometres.
The new supply is expected to benefit more than 1.5 million people in Marrakech and surrounding communities, where rising population numbers and tourism have increased demand for water.
The water will travel through three pumping stations before reaching the Ramram reservoir, north of Marrakech. It will then be distributed to homes and businesses by the regional utility company.
The Safi-Marrakech project is one of the first major examples of that strategy. It cost 4.3 billion dirhams and was fully funded by the Moroccan government.
Adil Daoudi, deputy chief executive of Société Régionale Multiservices Marrakech-Safi, said the aim is to give Marrakech “an additional, sustainable and secure source of water supply”.
He said the project responds to “the continuous increase in water demand driven by the city’s urban and demographic growth” and will help support the city’s development.
Morocco has faced more than six years of severe drought, putting pressure on dams and groundwater reserves across the country.
In response, authorities have invested heavily in desalination plants, treated wastewater projects and large-scale water transfer systems known as “water highways”.
