Drought: in Morocco, prayers to bring the rain

Prayers will be pronounced this Friday in all the mosques of Morocco in the hope of bringing down the rain.

It was King Mohammed VI who ordered it, while the drought affected the whole country.

These prayers refer to a verse from the Koran and to words of the Prophet Muhammad recommending a prayer “whenever the rain is scarce”.

After five very hot years and having suffered, like the whole planet, the hottest year in 2020, Morocco experienced extreme heat waves in 2021.

50° during the day, more than 30 in the evening, this summer, a heartbreak for the land.

And November, usually a little wet, did not bring its windfall.

As a result, the country is experiencing a severe rainfall deficit.

Dam reserves are at their lowest, with a filling rate of just 34% on Friday, against 46% last year at the same time, according to official data.

The country's economy, already hard hit by the health crisis, is very dependent on this sector, the leading contributor to GDP, at 14%.

“Strictly” rationed water

Drought prompted the tourist capital Marrakech in January to "strictly" ration water, banning the watering of lawns in stadiums and parks during the day, according to the Medias24 news site.

Other wilayas, the communities responsible for water management, could take the same decision.

Even more drastic measures were adopted in 2020 in Agadir (south) where tap water was cut off at night.

This tourist city is home to the country's first seawater desalination plant, which came into service at the beginning of this week to make up for the lack of drinking water and irrigation.

Of the 275,000 m3 of desalinated water that can be produced every day, 125,000 is reserved for agriculture.

Drought is expected to gradually increase in Morocco until 2050 under the effect of a drop in rainfall (-11%) and an increase in temperatures (+1.3°C), according to the Ministry of Agriculture .

It will lead to a "decrease in the availability of irrigation water by more than 25%", predicted a ministry report.

VIDEO.

Dried up, one of the largest rivers in Morocco no longer flows into the sea

A water desalination plant project could be accelerated in the Casablanca region, which is less threatened by the risk of water shortage, thanks to an underground water supply network.

Morocco, which has 3,500 km of coastline, is betting more than ever on this technology.