The Director General of ONEE receives a large delegation from the European Union and its member states to the liquid sanitation project of the Sidi Allal Tazi Center Province of Kenitra

This article was automatically translated from HIBAPRESS, the Arabic version:

Hibapress- Abdelkrim Mahyaoui

On Wednesday January 22, 2025, Mr. Tarik Hamane, Managing Director of the National Office for Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE) received at the Office Wastewater treatment plant in Sidi Allal Tazi, An important delegation made up of the ambassadors of the European Union, the member states accredited in Morocco, the European Investment Bank in Morocco and representatives of the French Development Agency (AFD) and the KFW, European financial partners of the ‘Onee.

The visit of this delegation is part of the highlighting of the efforts of the Kingdom of Morocco, the ONEE and its partners within the framework of the National Put Liquid Sanitation Program and the reuse of treated wastewater ( PNAM) whose objective is to reach a 95% connection rate by 2040 and a depollution rate of 80% in urban areas, the equipment of 1,200 chief centers place of municipalities in rural areas and reuse of 573 mm3 per year.

During this meeting, the Director General of the OneE has focused on fruitful and sustainable cooperation between the ONEE and the European Union which covers strategic portfolios of the office in the water sector. He also highlighted the excellence of this partnership which dates back to 1994 and which resulted in the realization of several structuring projects with a total envelope mobilized amounting to 1.6 billion DH in the fields of the drinking water and liquid sanitation.

This visit took place in a “team Europe” spirit, an initiative to combine the resources of the Union, its member states and financial institutions, in particular the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and development, to support partner countries.

In her speech, His Excellency Patricia Llombart Cussac, Ambassador of the European Union to Morocco said: “As a Europe team (Team Europe), we recognize, the importance of integrated and efficient management of this resource , in the current context of water stress experienced by Morocco and the European Union. The EU and its member states cooperate with the kingdom in the water sector, in terms of investment, governance and the promotion of transparent information systems.

The visit of the EU ambassadors at the wastewater treatment plant in Sidi Allal Tazi helps us to better understand Morocco’s efforts in the fight against drought due to climate change. The visit is a concrete example of fruitful and necessary cooperation.

On the occasion of this visit, Mr. Hamane presented the achievements of the office in the field of liquid sanitation. He specified that at the end of June 2024, the OneE mobilized an overall amount of investment which amounts to 17.83 billion DH and which allowed the Onee to carry out 152 treatment plants on the 189 Existing national treatment plants at the national level, or 80% of the stations carried out, with a global purification capacity of around 197 million m3/year (540,370 m3/d).

Mr. Hamane underlined that these results have been achieved thanks to the efforts of the public authorities, of the ONEE as well as the financial contribution of several donors, in particular, the European Union (EU), the European Investment Bank (BEI ), the French Development Agency (AFD), the German Development Bank (KFW), as well as Belgian cooperation.

The Director General of the OneE recalled in this respect the joint financing of these donors granted to the OneE as part of the first tranche of European co-financing of the PNAM, which required the mobilization of an amount Initial overall of 2.35 billion DH, financed jointly by the Moroccan State and by the ONEE through this European co -financing (up to 1.171 billion DH). This allowed the realization of liquid sanitation projects in 35 centers, the realization of 26 purification stations with a treatment capacity of 26.32 million m3/year of refined worn water, benefiting a population of About 1.17 million inhabitants.

He added, that following the success of this first tranche, and according to the same approach, the OneE started in 2017 the realization of liquid sanitation projects as part of the second tranche of European co-financing of this program , for an overall amount of approximately 2 billion DH financed jointly by the Moroccan State and by the OneE (through the financial support of the EU, AFD, KFW and BEI (up to 1.024 Billion DH). /year of tightly worn water for a population benefiting from around 1 million inhabitants.

The liquid sanitation project of the Sidi Allal Tazi Center, the object of the visit, constitutes a successful example of the achievements of this program. Supported by the ONEE as part of the second tranche of European co -financing of the PNAM for an amount of 31 million DH, it includes the extension and rehabilitation of the liquid sanitation network on a 12 km linear, the Realization of 570 connections, the creation of a pumping station and a wastewater transfer pipe with a length of 2.4 km, as well as the realization of a purification station airy A purification capacity of 1230 m3 per day shared with the center of Had Ouled Jelloul, thus benefiting a population of around 17,100 inhabitants.

At the end of this event, Mr. Tarik Hamane said that this high -level visit testifies to the confidence of European financial partners to support Morocco and ONEE in the implementation of its strategy and its ability to achieve Structuring and innovative projects that meet the Sustainable Development Goals of Morocco, in accordance with the enlightened vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI that God assists it.