Al Hoceima.. The works of the “Oued Ghais” dam are nearing completion

Fikri Ould Ali – Al Hoceima

In accordance with the Royal Water Strategy and the instructions of His Majesty contained in the Supreme Speech addressed to the nation on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Throne Day regarding the completion of the dam construction program, and giving priority to dam projects planned in areas in difficulty With significant rains, work is accelerating on the “Ghays” dam project, located approximately 43 km southwest of Al Hoceima.

Official sources indicated that the works of the Oued Ghis dam are making remarkable progress, with the progress rate reaching about 99 percent after an acceleration of the pace, which made it possible to reduce the duration of the works by about 9 months, reflecting the great efforts made to complete the project faster than expected, in accordance with the emergency plan, which provides for accelerating the completion of large, medium and small dams.

It is worth noting that the “Oued Ghis” dam, considered one of the largest dams in the region, is expected to increase its storage capacity to 93 million cubic meters, which will ensure the supply of drinking water in the medium and long term to the province of Al Hoceima and its neighboring centers, in addition to protecting the areas located in the lower part of Oued Ghis, it has protected from flood risks, and about 1,320 hectares of agricultural land have been irrigated.

It should also be noted that the “Oued Ghais” dam, completed in 2017, at a financial cost of 1.38 billion dirhams, has technical characteristics, the most striking of which is that it consists of a barrier of silt and stones with a concrete frontal mask, since the height of its barrier will reach 86 meters. Basically, annual water imports have been estimated at around 25.8 million cubic meters per year.