Morocco seeks finance from private sector for water plan

Morocco is seeking financial aid from private investors to raise MAD230bn (US$28bn) in order to fund its National Water Plan designed to relieve pressure on resources.

Water Ministry spokesperson Hajar Dehhani told Bloomberg that collaboration between public and private firms can be a potential option to finance the nation’s water plan.

"We will need MAD230bn in investment by 2030. The state can’t mobilise such funds alone," added Dehhani.

Morocco highly relies on rainfall and currently employs conventional wasteful irrigation methods for its agricultural industry. Souss farmers need to dig over 100m deep to secure water compared with 10m in the 1980s.

The North African nation has also witnessed conflicts over a dramatic rise in costs driven by pressure on water resources in places including Marrakesh.

In January, water ministry head of planning Abdessalam Ziad said that the annual per capita water availability may drop to 500m³ by 2025 from 700m³ in 2013.

During an OECD conference, Morocco General Affairs and Public Governance Minister Mohamed el-Ouafa said that the government is chalking out plans to develop a 300-mile canal to facilitate water supply from the wetter north to drier regions.