In the face of a persistent drought, Morocco has turned to innovative mobile desalination units to provide drinking water to remote areas. These compact, transportable ‘monobloc’ stations are a boon against the effects of climate change, quenching the thirst of thousands and offering a lifeline to communities struggling with depleted groundwater and dams. With plans to build over 200 more desalination stations, Morocco is leading the way in ensuring water security for its citizens. Desalination and water scarcity are key topics explored in this article.
Satiating the Thirst of Far-flung Villages
Beddouza is a small fishing village in western Morocco that has been hit hard by the recurring droughts in their land. Enter one of the few truly game-changing, based on new technology: a mobile desalination unit, called a ‘monobloc’.
Of these small, portable desalination units in the image below, Morocco has constructed 44 so far since 2023, offering a lifeline to isolated communities struggling under the growing dividual effects of climate change. These units produce drinking water which is then delivered through tankers to the most remote communities allowing access to drinkable water.
Turn Water Scarecity Into Abundance.
The results from these mobile desalination stations have been immediate and dramatic. Three monobloc units have been set up and some 45,000 residents now benefit direct access to drinking water from the Atlantic Ocean in Beddouza. Such stations are able to operate in a radius of 180 km from the station, which is very effective and flexible.
Unprecedented low levels of dam reserves and groundwater recharge in rural Morocco have left up to three million people facing a critical shortage of drinking water. Indeed, the government is only too aware of how much needs to be done and in response it has committed itself to constructing 219 more desalination stations to cater for the ever-growing demand.
Building a Water-Secure Future
Morocco is facing more and more violent consequences of climate change and its dependence on desalination technology has become crucial. Morocco receives such a low annual rainfall that it is predicted to be one of the countries with ‘extremely high’ water stress by 2040, according to the World Resources Institute.
In turn, King Mohammed VI has promulgated yet another significant promise to the effect that desalination would contribute up to 55% of its annual demand for potable water over the coming decade — a volume well in excess of 1.7 billion cubic meters annually — by 2030. This bold initiative will not only help solve the current water challenge but also create a roadmap for a more water-secure future to ensure that Morocco´s people and key agricultural sector have the resources they need to flourish.
