This article was automatically translated from HIBAPRESS, the Arabic version:
Hibapress
The Minister of Equipment and Water, Nizar Baraka, said on Tuesday in the Chamber of Councilors, that the siltation of the dams causes a loss of 50 million cubic meters of storage capacity each year.
In response to an oral question on the siltation of the dams, Mr. Baraka stressed that his department pays particular attention to this problem, which is currently arising acutely.
In this context, the Minister said that studies have been carried out to assess the loss of restraint caused by the siltation, following which several preventive measures were adopted, in particular the signing of an agreement with the National Agency of Water and Forests aimed at intensifying reforestation operations in order to limit the siltation of dams.
The question of siltation is now taken into account when designing new dams, providing for a volume dedicated to the accumulation of sediment for an operating period of at least 50 years, thus making it possible to make the construction costs of these hydraulic works profitable, he added.
Following the succession of drought episodes, a sediment extraction program was set up for certain small dams, noted the minister, noting, however, that the cost of this operation remains high, reaching 70 dirhams per cubic meter.
Faced with this reality, Mr. Baraka underlined the need to consider other approaches, such as the elevation of certain large dams, in order to increase their storage capacities and to prevent the problem of siltation.
