Morocco’s water crisis has deepened into its seventh consecutive year of drought, with per capita water availability falling to just 606 cubic meters annually—far below the United Nations’ scarcity threshold of 1,000 cubic meters. With more than 72% of its population now living in cities, the pressure on coastal aquifers and limited surface resources is intensifying.
At Stockholm Water Week 2025, Moroccan officials, ICLEI, and academic partners presented the Morocco Urban Circular Water Resilience Initiative, supported by Germany’s Federal Ministry and GIZ. The program positions Marrakech, Safi, and Kenitra as testbeds for circular water strategies designed to close the loop between wastewater generation, treatment, and reuse.
Government responses remain centered on large-scale infrastructure. As of this year, 17 major dams and 146 smaller ones are under construction, alongside 16 desalination facilities and 197 wastewater treatment plants. By 2027, authorities aim to reuse 5 million cubic meters of treated wastewater and desalinate 1.7 million cubic meters annually, supported by the planned “water highway” transferring resources from northern basins to the arid south.
Yet the initiative highlights that resilience will not come solely from new megaprojects. In Marrakech, city planners are drawing on both tradition and technology. Ancient khattarates, or underground water canals, are being preserved as cultural assets while modern efficiency programs are rolled out. Since 2010, the city has irrigated golf courses, palm groves, and public parks with treated wastewater. A new municipal audit is expected to cut government building water use by 45% through efficiency retrofits and targeted drip irrigation.
In Safi, the phosphate giant OCP Group is advancing an industrial-scale approach through its OCP Green Water program. The USD 4.4 billion plan commits the company to rely entirely on non-conventional water sources. By 2030, OCP targets 560 million cubic meters of desalinated water and 50 million cubic meters of treated wastewater, supplying both industry and surrounding agriculture. This model reflects a wider push to ensure that water-intensive industries offset their consumption through circular use.
Kenitra’s Ibn Tofail University is testing smaller but highly efficient solutions. Its pilot plant treats 400 cubic meters of wastewater per day using advanced membrane filtration. Purified flows are directed into subsurface porous tubes, delivering water directly to plant roots. Researchers report efficiency levels surpassing conventional drip irrigation, with replications already underway in Rabat, Marrakech, and rural communities.
Officials argue that integrating such diverse approaches—from industrial-scale desalination to micro-level irrigation pilots—is essential if Morocco is to avoid the severe economic and social consequences of escalating scarcity. As Urban Planning Director Badria Benjelloun observed, the country faces “water stress as a reality,” shaped by overexploited aquifers, pollution, and intensifying climate extremes.
The post Morocco Turns to Circular Water Systems as Drought Enters Seventh Year first appeared on www.circularbusinessreview.com.
