In response to a phenomenon that significantly weakens the storage capacity of dams, the Ministry of Equipment and Water and the National Agency for Water and Forests have signed a framework partnership agreement in Rabat aimed at combating sedimentation, now a central issue in managing the Kingdom’s water resources.
Signed by Nizar Baraka and Abderrahim Houmy, this agreement reflects a desire for enhanced coordination between the two institutions, focusing on an integrated approach centered on the development and management of watersheds located upstream of hydraulic infrastructure. The stated objective is to reduce sediment inputs responsible for the gradual accumulation of deposits in reservoirs, a phenomenon that decreases the effective capacity of dams year after year.
In this context, the authorities intend to prioritize a preventive logic by intervening upstream on the structural causes of sedimentation, notably soil erosion and ecosystem degradation. This direction aligns with a broader vision of integrated water management, combining the preservation of natural resources, protection of infrastructure, and consideration of the socio-economic dimensions of the affected territories.
The partnership also includes the establishment of joint programs that combine soil conservation actions, reforestation, hydraulic development, and technical monitoring of watersheds. The exchange of data and expertise between the two institutions is another key lever aimed at improving knowledge of risk areas and refining interventions.
Beyond the issue of sedimentation, this cooperation is set against a backdrop of increasing water challenges, where pressure on water resources intensifies due to the combined effects of climate change and precipitation variability. Watersheds, often fragile, play a decisive role in regulating water flows and protecting infrastructure, but remain exposed to erosion dynamics that compromise their function.
The stakes are particularly strategic as dams hold a central place in the Moroccan hydraulic model, ensuring the supply of drinking water, supporting irrigated agriculture, and producing energy. The reduction of their storage capacity thus poses a direct risk to the country’s water security.
Through this agreement, public authorities aim to act across the entire hydrological chain, both upstream and downstream, in order to sustainably preserve available resources and anticipate the impacts of an increasingly restrictive climatic environment.