The Agdez Dam, a promising project to overcome the water deficit in Zagora

Hibapress

About a hundred kilometers from Zagora, the Agdez dam, which will be commissioned in April 2023, is positioned as a promising structure aimed at alleviating the water deficit suffered by the region and meeting the increasingly pressing need for water.

Covering an area of ​​940 ha, this 130-meter-high infrastructure will consolidate the hydraulic infrastructure of the province of Zagora and the Draa-Tafilalet region in general, guarantee a sufficient supply of drinking water and stimulate economic dynamics through the promotion of the agricultural sector and hydroelectric electricity.

Morocco has indeed committed, in accordance with the High Royal Guidelines, to a bold policy focused on improving the dam strategy and the rational management of water resources as a vector for sustainable economic and social development.

“The Agdez dam, which required an investment of 1.2 billion DH, has an estimated storage capacity of 247 Mm3, with the aim of ensuring the supply of drinking and irrigation water to the province, protecting the region against floods and producing electricity,” said Ajlali Mohamed, head of this dam in the Draa-Oued Noun hydraulic basin.

This project, he added, paves the way for job creation, prevention of rural exodus and opening up the region through the creation of a 17 km road linking the RN 9 and the Agdez dam, without forgetting the improvement of access to multiple tourist and natural sites, notably the Tizgui waterfalls.

The current reservoir of this dam, built on the Draa wadi, is 31 million m2, or a filling rate of 12.97%, he specified in a statement to MAP.

This work already benefits the centers under Zagora, thanks to the Water Treatment Station, built by ONEE within the framework of the National Program for Drinking Water Supply and Irrigation (PNAEPI) 2020-2027.

According to the provincial director of ONEE (Water Branch), Zyat Khalid Abdellatif, since December 2023, the station with a capacity of 250 L/S, ensures the supply of drinking water to the cities of Zagora, Agdez and the commune of Tamgrout, under the first tranche implemented for a budget of 730 MDH.

This station, whose flow rate can be extended to 375 L/s with a saturation horizon in 2040, benefits from the first tranche of more than 72,000 inhabitants, he said.

The five upcoming tranches provide for the supply of the various municipalities and localities in the province of Zagora from the waters of the Agdez dam, notably Ait Oualal, Nkob, Tazarine, Fezouata, Ktaoua, Tagounite, Mhamid El Ghizlane, Afelandrea, Tansift, Afra, Mezguita, Tamzmoute, Ouled Yahya lagurayre and Bouzaroual, the manager said.

Approached by MAP, several residents of the province of Zagora expressed their immense joy at the commissioning of the Agdez dam, which has remarkably revived the region’s oases and provided a constant supply of drinking water.

“The dam is of vital importance for the inhabitants of the province,” stressed Mohamed Doudou, a farmer from the commune of Mezguita, noting its beneficial impact on agricultural activities, the preservation of the water table and the mobilization of sufficient quantities of drinking water.

After six consecutive years of drought, water reserves, both underground and surface, have been deeply impacted. Dam filling levels are falling and do not exceed 28% at the national level today, with an unbalanced distribution between the various hydraulic basins.

Several projects will be planned to address this critical water situation as part of the continued implementation of the aforementioned National Program, in accordance with the High Guidelines contained in the Royal Speech on the occasion of the Throne Day.

In this context, the various stakeholders concerned continue to call for better rationalisation of water consumption and increased action against any form of illicit use of water.

The effectiveness of these efforts lies in the implementation of a series of measures, including the reactivation of the action of the bodies responsible for controlling the exploitation of water resources, particularly the water police and the operationalization of emergency water saving programs.