African Development Bank (AfDB) is offering a close to US$ 21M lifeline to the National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE) to avoid a financial breakdown in the implementation of the Project of Sustainability and Security of the Water Access (PPSAE) in Morocco.
This financing is in addition to the close to the US$ 92.4M released by the pan-African bank since the beginning of the PPSAE back in 2019. The project is also receiving close to US$ 43.4M from the Growing Together in Africa Fund (GTAF).
An overview of the Project of Sustainability and Security of the Water Access (PPSAE) in Morocco
The PPSAE in Morocco is part of the ONEE-Water Branch investment program, approved by its board of directors for the 2016-2020 period and then for the 2019-2023 period. It will promote demand management in fragile areas, more especially in rural areas, while combating pollution in the industrial development area.
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The scope of this project covers the provinces of Tangier, Al Hoceima, Guercif, Beni Mellal, and Zagora. In the province of Tangier, the project will include the laying of 11 km of 1200 mm diameter steel pipe that will connect the Ibn Battouta dam to the Mharhar drinking water plant, and the installation of a booster station of 1.1 m3 per second.
In Al Hoceima, 19.7 km of cast iron pipes, with diameters of 700 and 600 mm, will be installed to deliver water from the Oued Ghiss dam to an existing drinking water plant with a capacity of 0.4 m3 per second. The drinking water will be distributed to the population through a new coated steel pipeline, 11 km long.
Scope of the PPSAE in Guercif, Beni Mellal and Zagora provinces
In Guercif province, as in Al Hoceima, the government will reinforce the water supply with drinking water conveyances (DWT). Reportedly, the work has been divided into five lots, the construction and equipment of a drinking water plant with a capacity of 0.3 m3 per second, expandable to 0.45 m3 per second, and the installation of a 20 km raw water pipeline and a 60 km pipeline that will transport drinking water from the Guercif plant to supply the population in rural areas.
In Beni Mellal, the work consists of reinforcing the capacity of a water supply system situated near the Souk Sebt axis from the Afourer drinking water plant, which will also be modernized as part of the project. A new AEP will be built to supply the centers of Souk Sebt, Dar Oulad Zidouh, and Oulad Ayyad.
Lastly, the PPSAE project will deliver hydraulic facilities in the province of Zagora for a water treatment plant with an estimated production capacity of 0.25 m3 per second, expandable to 0.375 m3 per second. The plant will treat water from the Agdez dam and the drinking water will be distributed to households via 107 km of pipes.
ONEE, which is implementing the project is expected to deliver all the facilities by 2023 at the latest.
