Morocco is set to receive US $237m from the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD) to finance construction of the Laayoune bypass expressway and the project to heighten the Mohammed V dam.
The financing agreement was signed between Mohamed Benchaaboun, the Moroccan Minister of Economy and Finance, and Abdullatif Yusuf Al-Hamad, Managing Director and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the AFESD.
“The project to build the Laayoune bypass expressway and the raising of the Mohammed V dam “are among the priorities of the Moroccan government because they are at the heart of our country’s development policy in its two aspects relating to the rational management of water resources, on the one hand, and the development of the southern provinces of the kingdom on the other,” said Mohamed Benchaâboun, Moroccan Minister of Economy and Finance.
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Mohammed V dam
The Mohammed V dam is located on the Moulouya River, at the junction of the Middle and High Atlas Mountains, in the Almssid region, and flows for a distance of 600 km before flowing into the Mediterranean Sea.
The water reservoir is 64 m high and 280 m long, forming a 650 million m3 lake. It is used to generate electricity, producing a capacity of 84GWh per year. The dam has been in operation since 1967 but access to the water reservoir has always been hampered by the many curves that make up the facility.
The dam, has a siltation problem because of the sediments that are trapped on the bottom of the water reservoir. Over time, the latter cause the dam’s retention capacity to decrease. To meet this challenge, the Government of Morocco recommends raising the level of the dam, which will contribute to improving water regulation in the Oued Moulouya and compensate for its low storage capacity.
