Mr. Baraka: develop a precise action plan and review of hydraulic projects that will be implemented in accordance with the High Guidelines of HM King Mohammzd Vl
HIBAPRESS-RABAT-PRESS RELEASE
Last Friday, the Minister of Equipment and Water Nizar Baraka chaired a meeting at the General Directorate of Hydraulic Engineering, devoted to the examination of hydraulic projects that will be implemented in accordance with the High Guidelines contained in the Royal Speech on the occasion of the Throne Day.
During this meeting, which was attended by the central directors of the General Directorate of Water Engineering, the directors of the Basin Agencies, the director of the EHTP and the director of Human Resources at the ministry, Mr. Baraka urged the directors of the Hydraulic Basin Agencies to develop a precise action plan to achieve the objectives set.
He thus called for the mobilization of all parties concerned to carry out the projects programmed in application of the High Guidelines of His Majesty King Mohammed VI. In this sense, he recalled the objectives set out by the Sovereign, including the satisfaction of 100% of the population’s needs in drinking water, while ensuring 80% of the needs in water intended for irrigation.
These projects concern more specifically the completion of the construction program of large dams and the acceleration of their implementation according to new priorities, as well as water transfer projects between the Laou, Loukkos, Sebou and Oum Er-Rbia basins to the Al Massira Dam.
The Minister also called on stakeholders to rapidly implement projects that involve the interconnection of dams to enable integrated and smooth management of water resources at the basin level, calling for the development of an integrated program for the construction of seawater desalination plants, in collaboration with the National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE) and all stakeholders.
It also involves increasing the volume of treated wastewater by 2030 and encouraging the agricultural, industrial and tourism sectors to use it, in coordination with the Ministry of the Interior.
In this regard, Baraka recalled the importance of implementing groundwater contracts and collecting data on groundwater resources.
In this regard, he stressed the imperative of working on controlling water savings, whether at the level of drinking water or irrigation water, by adopting rehabilitation programs. He also stressed the need to update the national water strategy, taking into account the impact of climate change, the evolution of water needs and the state of groundwater.
In this context, meetings will be organized with all stakeholders to combat the waste of water resources and rationalize the use of drinking and irrigation water by adopting programs to rehabilitate pumping channels and drip techniques, in addition to strengthening the water police by providing it with the necessary human and financial resources, in close coordination with local authorities and the Royal Gendarmerie.
The training of engineers and technicians in the fields of non-conventional water (desalination of sea water, reuse of treated wastewater, renewable energies) will also be integrated into the Hassania School of Public Works (EHTP) and technical training institutes under the ministry.
