Italian media “Expartibus” described, on August 30, the Sebou and Bouregreg basins interconnection project as a “model of innovative water management,” which also reaffirms Morocco’s expertise in civil engineering and infrastructure.
The news website stated that this mega-project, established under the High Directives of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, aims to divert excess water from the Sebou basin, which used to flow into the Atlantic Ocean, into the Bouregreg basin to ensure the supply of drinking water to the Rabat-Casablanca axis, adding that the first phase of the installation of the pumping engines for this “river highway” had already been completed.
Expartibus explained that this new structure will enable water to be diverted with an initial flow rate of no more than3 m3/s, gradually increasing to 15 m3/s, noting that the project, which cost around MAD 6 billion, “will rapidly reach cruising speed to help overcome drought in the area.”
According to the Italian online daily, this project is part of His Majesty the King’s efforts, which for years have paid particular attention to the water issue, especially the optimal management of water resources. The news portal recalled, in this regard, the Council of Ministers of October 2, 2017, the meeting chaired by the Sovereign on June 5, 2018, and the Royal Speech of October 14, 2022, delivered before the two houses of Parliament, which were devoted to the water issue.
Expartibus also noted that this major water structure was built thanks to the national skills and expertise of a consortium of Moroccan companies, stressing that this project “will attest to the dynamism and maturity of Moroccan companies, opening up new international prospects.”
The interconnection of the Sebou and Bouregreg basins includes a water catchment facility at the guard dam on Oued Sebou, 67 km of steel canals with a diameter of 3200 mm, two pumping stations with a flow rate of 15 m3/s, and a basin to transfer water to the Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdullah reservoir dam.