This ambitious project is the result of the pooling of efforts and resources between the Ministry of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development, and Water and Forests, the National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE), institutional and professional partners, as well as regional and provincial authorities.
With a total cost of 4.41 billion dirhams (MMDH), of which 2.35 MMDH is for the irrigation component and 2.06 MMDH for drinking water, this large-scale project aims to provide a relevant alternative to address the relentless water deficit and offer a new solution regarding water resources.
As part of the efforts to safeguard the groundwater table, this hydraulic facility also contributes to the drinking water supply of Greater Agadir, given the insufficiency of conventional resource availability.
This plant, which produces desalinated water shared equitably between drinking water and irrigation water, benefits agricultural operations, particularly those dedicated to citrus cultivation.
In a statement to MAP, Ayoub Ramdi, rural engineering engineer at the Regional Office for Agricultural Development (ORMVA) of Souss Massa, indicated that this large-scale installation plays a very important role in securing the water supply for the Greater Agadir region (Agadir Ida-Outanan and Inezgane Ait Melloul) in drinking water and the Chtouka Ait Baha perimeter in irrigation water.
The commissioning of this desalination unit has allowed for the production of 275,000 m³/day, with a flow rate of 150,000 m³/day of drinking water and 125,000 m³/day of irrigation water, he specified, noting that the project to extend the station to increase its capacity is currently under study.
Thus, the Chtouka-Aït Baha desalination plant now stands as an effective and relevant solution to meet water needs in Souss-Massa.
It remains a structuring and anticipatory project, which is part of the ongoing efforts to meet the drinking water needs of the Souss-Massa region and support its sustained development.
This hydraulic facility comes at a timely moment in a context marked by strong pressure on water resources, due to consecutive years of drought, leading to reduced river flows and a notable decrease in groundwater levels.
This desalination plant adds to other projects carried out in the Souss-Massa region, including the “Tamri” dam, currently under construction in the Agadir Ida-Outanane prefecture.
It also involves the construction of a new desalination plant on Aglou beach to secure the water supply for the city of Tiznit, at a total cost of 2.7 MMDH.
There is also a continuation of the elevation works of the “Mokhtar Soussi” dam in the Taroudant province, to reach a capacity of 281 million m³, as well as the installation of mobile desalination plants, the acquisition of tanker trucks, and the intensification of exploratory drilling.
MAP