Hommam Al Nassim 
Yesterday, Monday, Morocco announced the start of construction work on a seawater desalination plant in the west of the country, which will be the largest of its kind on the African continent.
Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan supervised the start of work, and the annual production capacity of the station will reach 300 million cubic meters of desalinated water, according to the official Moroccan agency.
The agency reported that this project comes within the framework of the interest that King Mohammed VI attaches to the strategic issue of water, especially in light of the current circumstances that are witnessing a scarcity of rainfall and great pressure on traditional water resources in various regions of the Kingdom.
The station will be built on an area of 50 hectares on the outskirts of El Jadida, with a budget of 6.5 billion dirhams ($650 million) and will benefit 7.5 million residents of the cities of Casablanca, El Jadida, Settat, Berrechid, El Birr El Jadid and the surrounding areas.
The station’s production capacity is expected to reach 200 million cubic meters annually by the end of 2026 after the completion of the first phase, and to rise to 300 million cubic meters upon the completion of the second and final phase.
This project comes at a time when Morocco faces serious threats from the ongoing drought for the sixth year in a row, which greatly affects the vital agricultural sector.
In the context of confronting these challenges, the government approved a national program for drinking water supply and irrigation for the period 2020-2027, with investments amounting to 115 billion dirhams ($12 billion).
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