Data Module 006 — Environmental Data
Morocco’s Water
Crisis
Seven years of drought drained the dams to 28%. Then the rains of winter 2025–2026 refilled them to 70.7% in twelve months — a +155% recovery. But the structural crisis isn’t over. Water per capita has fallen from 2,560 m³ to ~500 m³ since the 1960s.
001 — The Decline & Recovery
Dam Fill Rate 2015–2026
National average dam fill rate. The descent from 72% to 28% took seven years. The recovery from 28% to 70.7% took twelve months.
002 — The Rains of Winter 2025–2026
“These rains remind us of the winters of the 1960s and 1970s.”
12.17B m³
Sept 2025–Feb 2026 inflows
134% above normal average
+95%
Winter rainfall increase
Year on year (Jan 12, 2026 data)
+17.6%
vs seasonal average
Above long-term norm
3.1B m³
Dec 2025 alone
Into dams in a single month
41% → 95%
Al Wahda Dam
Record recovery time
Jan 12, 2026
Minister's statement
"Seven-year drought is officially over"
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Basin Fill Rate Feb 2026
003 — Basin by Basin
The North Overflows. The South Still Waits.
Northern basins exceed 90%. The Souss-Massa hangs at 55%. The deep south — Guir-Ziz-Rheris and Draa-Oued Noun — remains structurally drought-exposed.
The drought is over. The water crisis isn’t. Morocco’s per-capita water has dropped from 2,560 m³ in the 1960s to ~500 m³ today — and is projected to hit 480 m³ by 2030.
004 — The Desalination Bet
Half of Drinking Water by 2030
17 plants operating. 4 under construction. 9 more planned. The Casablanca mega-plant will be the world’s largest powered entirely by renewable energy.
Casablanca SWRO
Sidi Rahal
300M m³/year
Under construction — operational 2027–2028
World's largest desalination plant powered 100% by renewable energy. €613M investment. Serves 7.5M people.
ACCIONA (50%) + Green of Africa + AfriquiaGaz
Rabat-Kénitra
Rabat
300M m³/year
Planned — MoU signed Oct 2024
Drinking water for 9M people across Rabat-Salé-Kénitra and Fès-Meknès regions.
Veolia
Agadir (expanded)
Agadir
125,000 m³/day
Operational — capacity upgraded
Backbone of Souss-Massa water supply. Serves agriculture and city.
Abengoa / ONEE
Nador West Med
Nador
250M m³/year
Under construction
Paired with Nador West Med port development.
TBD
Dakhla
Dakhla
Operational
Operational
Supplies southern provinces.
ONEE
Jorf Lasfar (OCP)
El Jadida
80M m³/year
Pipeline under construction
200km pipeline to Khouribga mines. Reduces dam water use by 80%.
OCP Green Water
005 — By the Numbers
The Structural Picture
152
Large dams
19.1B m³ total capacity
~500 m³
Water per capita/year
Down from 2,560 m³ in 1960s
17
Desalination plants operating
4 under construction, 9 planned
30%
Workforce in agriculture
80% farmland is rain-fed
720,000
Farm jobs lost (2019–2024)
Due to consecutive droughts
2030
Desal = 50% of drinking water
Government target
Sources
Ministry of Equipment and Water — Dam fill rates and basin data (Feb 2026)
Maroc.ma — Minister Nizar Baraka statement, Jan 12, 2026
Morocco World News — Dam recovery 155% report, Feb 19, 2026
Atalayar — Torrential rains analysis, Feb 17–18, 2026
Yabiladi — Dec 2025 rainfall analysis, "winters of the 1960s"
AGBI — "Morocco's drought is over — but the water crisis isn't", Feb 2026
Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems — Morocco water resources assessment (2025)
ACCIONA — Casablanca SWRO desalination plant project data
Fanack Water — Desalination expansion analysis, July 2025
U.S. Dept of Commerce — Morocco Water Country Guide
World Resources Institute — Water stress rankings
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This visualization may not be reproduced without visible attribution.
Sources: World Bank, FAO AQUASTAT