— HM King Mohammed VI enquired, on Thursday in Khouribga, about the program of supplying drinking water for the population living in the plain of Tadla and the phosphate plateau from the dam of Aït Messaoud worth 1.45 billion dirhams.- Meeting the drinking water needs of over 1.08 million inhabitants.
– A project that serves nature and the region’s socio-economic development.
On this occasion, details were given to the Sovereign on the program which is expected to contribute to preserving groundwater resources, meeting the drinking water needs of the state-owned phosphate office’s facilities, as well as of the new processes of phosphate wash and transport. It will also enable the zone to meet its drinking water needs by the year 2030.
The program, to be carried out by Morocco’s drinking water facility (ONEP), will benefit, in the long run, over 1.08 million inhabitants, including 530,000 in the rural area.
The program provides for building a 1,600litres/sec-treatment plant, a 330litres/sec-demineralization plant, a 15,000 m3-reservoir, and 76 km-pipelines with four relay stations. These facilities will be operational late 2014.
The program will also meet the drinking water needs of the Moroccan phosphate office group (OCP). With investments totaling 350 mln dirhams, the program provides also for constructing a sludge plant (1,600litres/sec), a reservoir of 2,000m3 and a 6 km-long feeder canal with a pumping station. They will be operational late 2012.
The monarch followed afterwards explanations on the OCP’s water strategy for the Khouribga-Jorf Lasfar zone for 1.1 bn dirhams. The strategy dubbed “Maroc Central” will contribute to preserving groundwater resources, meeting the drinking water needs of the state-owned phosphate office’s facilities, as well as of the new processes of phosphate wash and transport via a Slurry Pipe, and producing energy.
It provides for transferring 45 million m3 of surface water from the Aït Messaoud dam (on Oum Rabii river) via a water conveyance through the city of Fqih Ben Sahal to reach the Merah washing plant.
The “Maroc Central” project will be completed in August 2012.
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