Morocco inaugurates water highway linking Rabat and Casablanca

The government of Morocco has inaugurated the country’s first water highway project which is aimed at addressing the challenges posed by climate change and ensuring a stable water supply for the coastal regions between Rabat and Casablanca.

The project involved connecting the Bouregreg and al Sebou rivers to the Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah and El Massira dams. This is intended to ensure a consistent and reliable water supply to the metropolitan areas of Rabat and Casablanca, which together are home to over 12 million people.

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Socio-economic development

Two pumping stations were also set up to facilitate the movement of water along the “water highways.” These stations play a crucial role in maintaining the flow of water through the canals. The project’s infrastructure has a current transport capacity of 3 cubic meters per second, with plans to increase this capacity to 15 cubic meters per second by a specific deadline. This increased transport capacity indicates a significant effort to address the water supply needs of the area.

The project’s goals are multifaceted. In addition to ensuring a consistent water supply, the “water highways” aim to provide flexibility and efficient management of hydraulic structures, support the socio-economic development of coastal regions, optimize resource management using desalination plants, protect against floods, and potentially expand the water network to connect different basins and rivers across the country. It is projected to benefit beyond Rabat and Casablanca, as it also affects the Oum Er Rbia and Al Tensift rivers.