Drinking Water in Morocco - Bottle or Tap?

Should you drink bottled or tap water? Research shows: in six years, bottled water consumption has doubled in Morocco. Bottled water is found to be contaminated with plastic particles and tap water in Fez is perfectly safe to drink

The bottled water market is growing for several reasons. First, there is a change in the consumption habits of Moroccans increasingly aware of a healthy and balanced diet. Amongst tourists there is a longstanding misconception about Morocco's water purity. Owners of some accommodation riads have expressed concern at the amount of plastic waste generated by the use of bottled water and are pointing out to visitors that tap water is safe.

The development of leisure and travel has led to an increased consumption of coffee at hotels and restaurants. Operators in the sector have worked to raise awareness of the importance of consumption of natural mineral waters.

The packaging has also evolved, so the last few years have seen the launch of flavored water, sport caps, 5 litre bottles, bottles for water fountains, in addition to glass packaging.

The emergence of brands of table water sold at significantly lower prices reinforces the demand of certain consumers whose buying orientation is based on price. The market share of foreign brands remains very modest because of their relatively high selling price.

Bottled water VS tap water

According to a survey conducted by Marketphone, a subsidiary of Sunergia and whose results were published on November 7, 17% of Moroccans consume exclusively or mostly bottled water against 83% who opt for tap water. 6% of the population consume only bottled water, 11% consume it most often while 20% often consume tap water and 63% consume only tap water.

Despite the recent boycott, Moroccans have a preference for the products of the Oulmès Mineral Water Company, says the Sunergia study. According to the survey, 62% of respondents say they consume exclusively or most often bottled water from the company.

It appears that the favorite brands of Moroccans, after the products of Mineral Waters of Oulmes, are Ain Saiss and Sidi Hrazem . Despite the boycott, the structure of the sector in terms of market share has not changed, ensures the investigation.

"Whatever the purchasing power or socio-professional situation, today bottled water is not a luxury product but clearly a consumer product," the study concludes.

"As a result, the competition promises to be tough between the giants of the sector in the years to come", warn the authors of the survey, believing that these companies "will have to be innovative to stand out and reach consumers with good profiles.

In Fez there is good news for those concerned about the overuse of bottled water. The View From Fez recently had Fez tap water tested and the results are encouraging.

And it was not just in the Fez Medina. Rose Button had the water in Moulay Idriss tested and found the tap water to be fine to drink.

And for those on the coast?  Morocco’s Head of Government, Saad Eddine El Othmani, has assured consumers that water produced from Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah Dam in Rabat is safe to drink.

“You are in good hands when it comes to drinking water,” he said. The Bouregreg water facility supplies the populations of Rabat, Sale, Temara, Mohammadia and Casablanca.

El Othmani pointed out that: “All workers are strictly prohibited from bringing in bottled water, since they drink the water that was treated at the station and that they have watched over its filtration themselves.”

Saad Eddine El Othmani, drinking water from Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah Dam 

“I can only salute the people responsible at this station because they are invisible soldiers, unknown to the public, that conduct important patriotic work and take all the precautions to insure the security, safety, and health of the citizens,” El Othmani said.

The Head of Government assured citizens that the laboratory conducts analyses that follow the standards set by the World Health Organization (WHO) in coordination with the Ministry of Health.

First opened in 1969, the Bouregreg water facility is considered the first and largest water purification station in Morocco and provides drinking water to nearly seven million citizens.

Bottled water bottles are a massive pollutant

However, there is some bad news for those preferring bottled water. 

On Wednesday results of tests on the world’s leading brands of bottled water have found that nearly all bottles contain tiny plastic particles.

Over 250 of the top bottled water brands were tested in nine countries, including Lebanon, India, and the United States, during a research project commissioned by journalism organisation Orb Media and led by Sherri Mason, a professor of chemistry at the State University of New York in Fredonia.

The most common plastic fibres found include polypropylene, nylon, and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which are used during the industrial bottling process.

Researchers found an average of 325 plastic particles in 93 percent of bottled water samples from several brands–Aqua, Aquafina, Dasani, Evian, Nestle Pure Life, San Pellegrino–with the highest level found in a bottle of Nestle Pure Life water, registering 10,390 particles per litre.

“We found [plastic] in bottle after bottle and brand after brand. It’s not about pointing fingers at particular brands; it’s really showing that this is everywhere, that plastic has become such a pervasive material in our society, and it’s pervading water – all of these products that we consume at a very basic level,” Mason told BBC News.

The study reveals that levels of plastic fibres contained in these bottled water brands could be twice as high as those found in tap water, referring to a previous study conducted by Orb Media, which showed that plastic particles were also present in tap water.

The study also found particles in beer, honey, table salt, and seafood, as the oceans are increasingly polluted with plastic waste.

To date, the implications of ingesting these microplastics on human health is still unknown. However, after the study’s findings, the World Health Organization has now told several media outlets that it is launching its own review into the potential risks.

In better news, the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) has approved a €117 million loan to finance investment into making drinking water available in Morocco.

The project “aims to secure access to drinking water through new investments in treatment processes and drinking water supply networks” in Morocco, AfDB wrote in a statement on November 6.

The board of directors of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) said it approved the loan on Monday, November 5. The project will target 2.5 million people in Guercif in the northeast, Zagora in the east, Al Hoceima in the north, Tangier, and Beni Mellal in central Morocco.

Mohamed El Azizi, the bank’s director-general for the North Africa region, described the bank’s contribution as “strategic.” “Guaranteeing access for all to high-quality drinking water is the prerequisite for any form of sustainable development,” El Azizi said.

The program, which plans to ensure sustainable access to drinking water, meets two of the bank’s five highest priorities: “Improve the quality of life for the people of Africa” and “Industrialize Africa.”

For Leila Farah Mokaddem, the bank’s Morocco country manager, the project “will contribute to further improving the quality of life of millions of Moroccans.” “Taken together with our investments in education, agriculture and energy, it will facilitate the emergence of new poles of development,” Mokaddem added.

The project, according to AfDB, is in line with the objectives of the National Emergency Water Sector program and relevant sustainable development goals. The project is also aligned with the priorities set in the 2016-2020 investment plan of Morocco’s National Electricity and Drinking Water Agency (ONEE).

In June, the head of ONEE in the Fez region, Mohammed Berkia, said that office is adopting projects to improve the potable water supply in Al Hoceima through 2035.

Berkia said the projects would cost an estimated MAD 714 million. The government has budgeted MAD 900 million for the project, which will launch by the end of the year.  Berkia’s statements came three weeks after King Mohammed VI instructed the government to build river and hill dams to help alleviate water scarcity in rural Morocco.

The King appointed a commission led by Head of Government Saad Eddine El Othmani to find appropriate solutions to the problem. The monarch called on the commission to establish desalination plants and to ensure sustainable water in agricultural fields.

In March 15, El Othmani announced that the government would introduce a national water plan through 2050 to solve water shortages in Morocco.

According to the AfDB, the fifty-year partnership between Morocco and the bank includes more than 160 projects and programs with a total fund of more than $10 billion. More than 80 percent of the funding has been devoted to basic infrastructure in energy, water, transport, agriculture, and social development.

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Another "new" plan for Fez?

Tenders have been called for a framework to create a new city plan for the Fez Medina 

Covering an area of ​​300 ha and sheltering a population of 91,152 inhabitants, the area within the walls of ​​the Fez Medina is considered of immense universal cultural and historical value. It encompasses the Medina of Fez and Fez Jdid.

To preserve this heritage, the City Council of Fez has just launched a call for tenders to set the conditions under which the development of the "Plan of development of the medina intramural of Fez" will be carried out. The purpose of this work will be to design a regulatory framework to improve the control of urbanisation.

The document will allocate different zones according to their main use - residential areas, industrial zones, commercial centres, tourist areas, agricultural or forest areas as well as social areas in which all construction is prohibited.

It will also identify the boundaries of the road network (roads, squares, plots, car parks) to be conserved, modified or created, public green spaces (woodlands, parks, gardens), playgrounds, various open spaces such as spaces for cultural and folklore events, to be preserved, modified or created. The new plan should outline historical or archaeological sites, and public or private green areas to protect or enhance the aesthetic, historical and cultural life of the city.

The framework should cover the conditions of organisation, planning and rehabilitation of urban areas for the next 10 years in a sustainable fashion.

The design office chosen will rationalise and promote urban land for a medina on a human scale, deduce habitat typologies and propose appropriate and adequate measures to solve the problem of buildings in danger of collapse. It will also improve the links and exchanges between the city of Fez and its historic Medina and enhance the complementarity interactivity that it maintains with its hinterland.

The time for this complex project is required to be under six months.

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Morocco Installs Charging Stations for Electric Vehicles

Morocco's Institute for Research in Solar Energy and New Energies (IRESEN) has announced the start of the installation of the first charging stations for electric vehicles in Morocco's highway rest areas.

As part of the Green Miles project, initiated by IRESEN in partnership with Schneider Electric, Autoroutes du Maroc are working on the establishment of the first pilot network of charging stations at rest areas every 60 km along the Tanger-Agadir motorway.

"In total, there are 37 terminals, with 74 charging points of different powers that are being installed on the highway rest areas to cover the 800 km route," said the statement, adding that the establishment is part of a global approach that integrates coupling with solar power, intelligent communication between terminals and the development of innovative solutions that take into account all the specificities of the Moroccan socio-economic context.

Initiated in 2017, these facilities are the result of numerous research and development projects on sustainable mobility that the Institute has conducted since 2014 at its research platform Green Energy Park in Benguerir.

Studies have demonstrated the importance of charging infrastructure as a driver for the development of electric mobility in Morocco. Thus urban areas are in full expansion, and a significant source of solar energy, electric cars, which can be adopted to renew the current fleet, while saving more than 15 million tons of CO2 equivalent per year.

The charging stations were co-financed by the IRESEN and the Schneider-Electric group, while the engineering, the studies and the installation of the charging stations are done jointly by the fuel distributors, IRESEN and ADM.

The first stations of the Afriquia group are in the process of being equipped and will be followed in the next three weeks by the installation of the charging stations in the other rest areas of the fuel dispensers present on the Tanger-Agadir motorway.


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Moroccan water professionals learn about best water management practices in Germany

Water scarcity has dominated world news in recent days, shedding light on the challenges that many countries face when it comes to managing water resources in a sustainable way. Morocco, like other countries in the Maghreb region, faces this challenge against a backdrop of rapid population growth, urbanisation and economic development

The H2O Maghreb project, a public-private partnership initiative implemented by the United Nations industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and supported by FESTO Didactic SE, EON Reality, The Moroccan National Office for Drinking Water and Electricity (ONEE), and United States Agency for International Development (USAID), is helping to improve industrial and municipal wastewater management practices in Morocco and the rest of the Maghreb region.

H2O Maghreb aims to address some of the key factors contributing to unsustainable wastewater management practices in the region, such as the lack of up-to-date training in the latest technologies and slow job growth in the wastewater sector.

The project will focus on the development of new curricula for wastewater management-related skills – including the most recent technological innovations, such as adaptive virtual reality and automation technology – and of a demonstration and training hub at ONEE training centre. The two-year activity will upgrade the skills of trainers, water professionals and youth from Morocco in order to help increase their employability.

In order to select the appropriate equipment for the project’s training centre, a three-day study tour with project partners was held from 16 - 19 January at the University of Stuttgart and the premises of the project partner, FESTO Didactic SE.

During the three days, the project partners assessed technological innovations like FESTO’s Environmental Discovery System (EDS) for water management and Augmented Virtual Reality (AVR) for eventual use at the project premises. The AVR approach will help future water professionals to deal with potential dangerous issues or issues difficult to reproduce that could otherwise not be simulated during the training.

The H2O Maghreb project will be implemented over a period of two years with a budget of USD 2.7 million and is linked to UNIDO’s global knowledge sharing platform, the Learning and Knowledge Development Facility (LKDF).

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Agadir's Dolphinarium Project Causes Controversy

A petition on the Internet has been launched as part of the campaign by animal rights activists to stop the construction of a dolphinarium in Agadir

Architect's impression of Agadir Dolphin World

Four Russian contractors are preparing to build the first dolphinarium in Morocco, in the commune of Anza, north of Agadir. The dolphin park is due to open in March 2018.

Four dolphins, a seal and a beluga (white cetacean originating in the North Sea) will be sent from Russia by plane to Agadir to populate the dolphinarium created by the company Agadir Dolfin World and designed by the Moroccan firm KM Architecture. The different marine mammals all come from a dolphinarium in Russia and were born in captivity.

A project that goes, "against the notion of sustainable development", according to the Moroccan branch of the Surfrider Foundation, are petitioning the ministers of Agriculture and Fisheries, and Energy and Sustainable Development to prevent the creation of this dolphinarium that "hides the sad reality of the (poor) living conditions in captivity" of dolphins.

The petition, published on Avaaz, which has collected thousands of signatures, condemns the conditions of captivity of dolphins, "enclosed in shallow basins which they can traverse, while the wild dolphins travel nearly 100 km per day and spend 80% of their time immersed in the depths of the ocean, to socialise and hunt".

Architect's drawing showing the small dolphin enclosure

According to the Surfrider Foundation, an NGO dedicated to the defence of the oceans, coastlines and marine animals, captive dolphins only survive half as long as wild dolphins because of the stress of captive life, and develop a large number of illnesses related to their conditions of detention.

"Seeing dolphins locked, enslaved, sick and stressed, performing acrobatics can in no way help to educate the public about dolphins, the environment and sustainable development," the association writes. "Forcing dolphins into captivity is a form of slavery, maltreatment and cruel unethical treatment."

The project has received all the legal authorisations from the Moroccan authorities for the construction of the dolphinarium, which will also include an aquarium, green areas and playgrounds. Veterinarians and specialists will come from Russia to look after the animals, but the staff for the maintenance of the site and the reception of the visitors will be hired locally.

According to the statutes of the company Agadir Dolfin World, created in March and managed by one of the partners, Aleksei Derii, the four Russian shareholders have contributed 100,000 dirhams of capital for the creation of their company.

Several countries have banned dolphinaria. The United Kingdom closed their last dolphinarium back in 1993. While in Europe, Croatia, Cyprus and Finland have also banned or closed the last existing dolphinariums. Other countries, such as Costa Rica, Chile and India, have banned dolphin parks. France has just prohibited the reproduction of dolphins and killer whales held in captivity.

The petition, published on Avaaz, points out that while Morocco, under the enlightened vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, has adopted a National Strategy for Sustainable Development,  the creation of a Dolphinarium cannot be synonymous with sustainable development for the country.

At a time when associations and NGOs in many countries are campaigning for the closure of the dolphinariums on their territory, why would Morocco in 2017 create its first dolphinarium when it has embarked on the path of sustainable development?

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Marrakech Launches Electric Buses

From Thursday (28th of September) Marrakech is putting electric busses into service

This project was announced on the occasion of the COP22 summit, organised in November 2016 in Marrakech.

Morocco ordered 30 electric buses from the Chinese operator Yangtse and the Spanish company, Alsa, won the tender to operate the buses.

After their commissioning, these new buses will serve the first line, crossing Hassan II Boulevard, linking Bab Doukalla to the Al Massira district and its surroundings, as well as the second line connecting the M'Hamid districts and the city centre via the corridor reserved for at the boulevard "Guemassa".

Other boulevards and districts will be included later using the same mode of operation as the tram lines in Rabat and Casablanca, with the provision of easy access points for people with special needs.

In order to guarantee the supply of electricity to these buses, a solar power station was set up in partnership with the World Bank at the entrance to the city, adjacent to the urban perimeter in the constituency of Menara, and the beginning of the municipality of Saâda.

These 18-meter long tram-buses will have to transport more than 45,000 citizens every day to different parts of the ocher city.

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"Cities Without Slums" Making Progress

"Cities without slums" is an ambitious programme to eradicate slums from Moroccan cities. Since it was launched back in 2004 it has assisted more than 380,000 families

According to the Minister of National Planning, Town Planning, Habitat and Housing City policy, Nabil Benabdellah, 82% of the total number of families, or 320,829 families, are involved in the programme either at the stage of being fully completed or in progress.

He reported that 18,920 families have been allocated completed units and are waiting to move in, and 43,916 families are waiting units that are under construction.

The Minister indicated that there are several constraints and barriers to programs, including refusal of membership from certain families, expansion of urban areas, natural increase in the families residing in slum neighbourhoods, the difficulty of responding to subfamily demands and changing criteria, the rarity of real estate and the difficulty of accessing bank loans.

Overall, the programme is making progress with 56 out of a total of 85 cities having been declared "without slums".

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Morocco's Plastic Bag Ban - a Year On

It has been almost a year since Morocco formally prohibited the manufacture, import, export, sale and use of plastic bags. The law was published in the Official Bulletin of December 14th 2015 and came into force in 2016 with a national campaign entitled Zero Mika - No Plastic

Zero Mika applied to all plastic bags except those for agricultural and industrial sectors as well as household waste collection. Isothermal bags and those intended for refrigeration and freezing were also exempt.

Despite scepticism in some quarters, the result exceeded expectations. Within a week of the ban being announced, shoppers had taken to carrying basket and using paper bags instead of plastic. Since that time there has been general acceptance of the policy.

Sadly, the plastic bag ban has resulted in a blackmarket in plastic bags with Moroccan authorities seizing more than 420 tonnes of plastic bags in the year since the entry into force of a law prohibiting their use,  According to the Ministry of the Interior they have also intercepted more than 421 tonnes of plastic bags, 70 manufacturing machines, 16 vehicles and arrested 55 people.

With the legislation dubbed "zero mika", or zero plastic in Arabic, Morocco became one of the first countries in Africa to impose a total ban on plastic bags, along with Rwanda.

Since the law took effect, the authorities have been strict to ensure its application, especially in shops and supermarkets in larger cities and towns. The government has described as "encouraging" the results of the ban, saying it had virtually eradicated the use of plastic bags in the country.

Moroccans have instead taken to using fabric bags

The ministry of industry has set up a 20 million euro ($21.8 million) fund to help companies affected by the law.

The government has described as "encouraging" the results of the ban, saying it had virtually eradicated the use of plastic bags in the country.

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Environmentalists Condemn Italian Dumping of Rubbish in Morocco

Moroccan environmentalists are up in arms over a shipment of rubbish from Italy being sent to Morocco. After the latest rubbish arrival associations for environmental protection have protested against the arrival of a large ship, from Italy, to Port of Jorf Lasfar

The 2,500 tons of waste plastics, rubber and used tires, is being be moved to Casablanca and Settat, to be burned in cement plants. Mohamed Khalidi, President of the Regional Centre for the Environment and Sustainable Development, stressed that "this incident is not the first of its kind. A number of associations have already had to deal with other shipments and rubber tires to burn in a cement plants in Morocco."

In a statement to the public, the centre in El Jadida condemned the shipment of waste "that prove dangerous and toxic, causing human and environmental damage and lead to the emergence of many acute and chronic illnesses, as well as birth defects and lifelong disabilities."

Mohamed Khalidi also asked the authorities to "put an end to such behaviour and to punish any person intending to import toxic substances to Morocco to burn and pollute the environment."

Morocco is not "a waste repository"

Mohamed Khalidi is surprised that people pollute the environment at the same time as Morocco has launched the Zero Mika (no plastic bags) campaign and will host the 22nd UN climate conference, COP 22. He also noted that a demonstration will follow this weeks the statement issued by the centre, to attract the attention of officials at local, regional and national levels, and intends to ask them to stop all behaviour harmful to human health and which affects the reputation of the country, which, he says is not "a waste repository".

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El Baraka Angels - Making a Difference

Moroccans are renowned for their generosity of spirit and nothing exemplifies it more than an organisation called El Baraka Angels

Since its creation in 2003 El Baraka Angels has provided assistance to more than 8000 families with seven food distribution caravans, two medical caravans , school renovations, circumcision campaigns, summer camps and programmes of cultural and artistic activities.

This year is the third consecutive year, El Baraka Angels have organise special winter caravans to support rural populations living in isolated mountain areas. This year they have broadened its reach to include the Province of Azilal following an early and unseasonal plunge in temperatures.

This week twenty-five members El Baraka Angels began their eighth food distribution caravan in the mountainous villages of the Province of Azilal, with a load of almost 40 tons of gifts and winter necessities.

The inhabitants of the rural town of Zaouiat Ahensal,  one of the poorest areas and most isolated of the province, will welcome this caravan which will allow 750 families to receive packages to tide them over the extreme cold period until the milder weather returns.

The packages include 42 kg of basic food and non-perishables, blankets and warm clothing for adults and children.

"In towns in the rural areas, the mobilisation of civil society in times of extreme cold is essential. For us, besides being an important support for these families, these caravans allow us to study the field and identify new enclaves for our projects supporting education, school renovation, medical caravans and very soon also income generation, projects" - Selwa Zine, President of the El Baraka Angels Association.

In 2016 the association is preparing for a renovation project that will improve fifteen schools in mountainous rural areas. It has already completed six school renovations and another is underway in the rural commune of Dayet Aoua.

After completing the first trip this week, members and volunteers of El Baraka Angels will take a second caravan in less than a fortnight, this time towards the Ifrane Province for the benefit of another 750 other families located there that they have been assisting for the past three years. The association intends to conduct sustainable and lasting support actions for the populations in the hundreds of mountain villages that make up the province.

The High Atlas and Middle Atlas regions have been the scene of tragedies in the past caused by the extreme cold.  In 2006 reports described the death of over thirty people including eight children.  At the time the deaths angered local inhabitants who began a march to raise awareness of  the living conditions in these villages.  The following year there were reports of the deaths of thirty people including four women and twenty-six babies.

A child in Anfgou

In December 2012, social networks, national and international media focused on the death of an infant in Anfgou, a landlocked village in the Middle Atlas, where temperatures dropped to -16 Celsius.

Following the death in Anfgou there was a national reaction with in-kind donations valued at more than more 600 000 Dirhams (60,000 USD) collected and then sent to the region.

To support the actions of the El Baraka Association you can make a donation by cheque or bank transfer:
Account name: El Baraka Angels
Account Number: 007 810 24 0001055000000210
Swift Code International BCMAMAMC
Agency Attijari Wafabank, Avenu de France, Rabat

"Death will always have to keep you company, ease your suffering by collecting the souls exhausted by time and winds of winter..." -  Hassan Oumada

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Morocco - Renewable Energy Superpower?

The World Bank recently stated in an article on its website that: “Morocco is poised to make history soon when the first phase of one of the world’s largest concentrated solar power plants starts generating electricity. When fully operational, it will produce enough energy for more than one million Moroccans, with possibly extra power to export to Europe.”

In addition to providing electricity, the Noor-Ouarzazate power complex is expected to reduce carbon emissions by 760,000 tons per year which could mean a reduction of 17.5 million tons of carbon emissions over 25 years. The power complex is aimed at cost reduction whilst using new technologies to emit low-greenhouse-gas.

Morocco’s great advantage is the fact that it is the only African nation that is connected to the European electrical grid which will give Morocco access to a 400 billion Euro market for electricity.

Morocco’s environment minister, Hakima el-Haite, said that there could be a similar impact from solar energy to the region comparable to the impact of oil production in the past century. “We are very proud of this project. I think it is the most important solar plant in the world,” she said.

Environment minister, Hakima el-Haite

The Noor-Ouarzazate power complex is funded by around US$9 billion by international institutions, including the European Investment Bank and World Bank. The Saudi-built solar thermal plant will be one of the world's biggest when it is complete with mirrors that will cover the same area as the country's capital, Rabat.

Paddy Padmanathan of Saudi-owned ACWA Power, which is running the thermal project, said: "Whether you are an engineer or not, any passer-by is simply stunned by it. You have 35 soccer fields of huge parabolic mirrors pointed to the sky which are moveable so they will track the Sun throughout the day." He also predicts, "If Morocco is able to generate electricity at seven, eight cents per kilowatt - very possible - it will have thousands of megawatts excess.It's obvious this country should be able to export into Europe and it will. And it will not need to do anything at all… it needs to do is just sit there because Europe will start to need it."

The first phase (Noor 1 - 160 MW) is expected to go live by the end of the year.

The thermosolar cylindrical parabolic troughs at the 160-MW power plant will be coupled with three hours of energy storage capability. The power plant has contracted a sale price of MAD 1.6 (USD 0.159/EUR 0.150) per kWh and is expected to start feeding electricity to the grid by the end of the year.

Noor II, a 200-MW power plant with thermosolar cylindrical parabolic troughs and seven hours of energy storage capability, will sell its electricity output at MAD 1.36 per kWh.

Noor III, an installed capacity of 150 MW which will employ central tower technology with salt receivers and seven to eight hours of energy storage capability, will sell power at MAD 1.42 per kWh.

All three projects are being developed by two companies of the Saudi Arabian group Acwa Power.

Morocco's Noor 1 solar plant

Morocco has officially announced plans to continue its renewable energy development policy beyond the 2020 horizon with about 2,500 MW wind, solar and hydro capacity to come online between 2021 and 2025.

The new goals were revealed by Minister of Energy, Abdelkader Amara, at a ministerial meeting of the International Energy Agency (IEA) in Paris. Wind power is seen installing 1,000 MW new capacity between 2021 and 2015 while solar will contribute at least 1,100 MW and hydro will add some 450 MW.

In total, between 2015 and 2025, Morocco is planning to boost its renewable energy generation capacity by 6,760 MW, in which solar power will bring the majority with 3,120 MW, wind will add 2,740 MW more and hydro will grow by 900 MW, Amara, adding that the investment will total some USD 25 billion (EUR 23.5 bn).

With the new additions planned for after 2021, the total wind power capacity installed in the country should go over the 3,000 MW mark while solar will hit at least 3,140 MW in 2025.

Morocco's Dahr Saadane wind farm

Besides the 800 MW of wind farms which are already producing electricity, Morocco currently has 550 MW more under development and another 850 MW are soon to be awarded in a tender. The process will be finalised by the end of the year and contracts will be signed in the first quarter of 2016.

Wind power could be a major contributor in the electricity sector of Morocco. According to data presented by minister Amara in Madrid last June, the country’s onshore potential is estimated at 25 GW, of which 6 GW could be installed by 2030. The average wind speed is 5.3 metres per second (m/s) at more than 90% of the country’s territory, according to the wind atlas, developed by the Moroccan Renewable Energy Development Centre (CDER). The Tanger and Tetouan region (North of Morocco) measured particularly high at 8 to 11 m/s and 7 to 8.5 m/s were recorded for Dakhla, Tarfaya, Taza and Essaouira.

The offshore potential along the 3,500 km coast is estimated at 250 GW.

Since 2000, when the first wind farm in Morocco, the 50 MW Abdelkhalek Torres project, started turning, the sector has moved up on a steep learning curve. It had already achieved grid parity and in recent years, it has become an investment magnet with significant increase in projects.

In hydro, Morocco has 1,770 MW in operation. A further 450 MW, of which 100 MW by private investors, are expected to join the grid by 2020, and 450 MW more are now planned for construction between 2021 and 2025

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Morocco's Cities Without Slums Project - Update

Morocco's ambitious "Cities Without Slums" project is moving forward. The Minister of Housing and City Policy, Nabil Benabdallah, speaking this week at a meeting entitled "The Quality Test for Real Estate" announced that the social housing project had signed more than 800 agreements for the construction of 1.3 million homes. He also reported that more than 500 projects have been started for more than 410,000 homes and over 180,000 homes had already received certificates of conformity.

The Minister of Housing, Nabil Benabdallah

So far 54 cities have been cleared of slums and 248,659 households have seen their housing conditions improve, as part of the "Cities Without Slums" project.

According to the Minister, by the end of August 2015, the project to create low cost temporary accommodation had completed more than 57 000 units and for middle class housing, 39 agreements were signed for the construction of nearly 15,000 housing units.

A Casablanca slum - set for clearance

The slum clearance programs have been running for a number of years. 2006 saw the relocation of 60,750 families at a cost of 6.7 billion dirhams. In 2011 a regional program relocated 45 920 families at a cost of 4.8 billion dirhams.

The minister also made note of the progress being made in quality control and technical standards for all new buildings. There are now 13 technical committees drawing up standards for for building materials, improving the competitiveness of industrial building materials, promoting health and safety regulations as well as strengthening of the Moroccan regulatory system relating to construction products and certification of international standards.

These 13 committees cover  all facets of building construction, including hardware, wall tiles, terracotta earthen products, plumbing, windows and mirrors, carpentry standards for doors and windows, fittings and sanitary products, thermal insulation, sound insulation, building performance as well as sustainable construction methods.

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Morocco's TGV to Run on Wind Power

A few years ago the idea of a train powered by the wind would probably have been relegated to the realms of science fiction. Now the Moroccan national railway authority, ONCF, are intending to make the idea a reality, developing a project to produce green energy for its electric train network

The ONCF is proposing a project to ally with an IPP, an independent power producer, and setting up a wind farm with a capacity of 150 MW. ONCF would purchase the green energy under an exclusive buyer contract lasting 20 years. The project would cost around two hundred million euros, according to early forecasts, and according to French media, ONCF is at the stage of preparing tender applications for the project.

When the notion of a high speed train running from Tangier to Casablanca was first floated, few believed it would come to fruition. Now the sceptics have been proved wrong and the project is well underway The first of the 14 trains on order arrived in Morocco at the end of July and after reassembly will undergo a series of static and dynamic tests. It is expected that the train will also be tested on the existing conventional network from the last quarter of this year before being tested on the high speed line. Each train set will include two power cars and eight intermediate carriages, including two first class, five second class and one buffet vehicle. Each double-deck train will seat up to 533 passengers.

The first of the 14 TGVs arrives in Morocco

An ONCF spokesperson says that the work on the high speed line is "progressing at a very fast pace after solving all the constraints the project faces". Some areas of construction are nearing completion, while overall 70% of the project is complete.  The remaining work is expected to be finished by the end of 2016.  Parallel work on railway equipment such as signalling and services is also progressing, with the first of the railway platforms  ready by the end of 2015

The completed  high-speed line will be delivered in 2017 to undergo a series of systems integration testing and approval before commercial operation.

But there is more. Morocco is already thinking about a high-speed network of 1500 km by 2030. This  would involve two rail openings; one north Europe and the other to the Maghreb in the east.

The line currently under construction, called 'the Atlantic line,'  linking Tangier to Casablanca, will be developed simultaneously to the south and north. To the south the line will extend 900 km to the city of Agadir. And to the north, the Atlantic line will connect to the European network via a tunnel under the Strait of Gibraltar.

When completed Rabat will be four hours from Madrid and eight hours from Paris. Morocco also plans a route named 'online Maghreb' 'of 600 km, linking Casablanca, Rabat and Oujda. Finally the Maghreb line could extend further and reach Algiers and Tunis.

The Moroccan TGV will run at an operating speed of 320 km per hour. Leaving every hour it is intended they will travel from Tangier to Kenitra in 47 minutes instead of 3:15 today, to Rabat in 1 hour 20 minutes against 3:45 today and in Casablanca in 2:10 against 4:45 now. It is expected that the first section of the TGV Tangier - Casablanca, will carry between 6 and 8 million passengers every year as against 3.5 million today.

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Fez Biogas to Light the City

Soon the street lights of Fez will be powered by electricity from an new environmentally friendly biogas plant

The Minister for the Environment, Hakima El Haite, will tomorrow inaugurate the new Fez biogas power plant built to utilise the domestic waste discharge in the city. The project that will light the spiritual capital's streets was set up as part of a national programme to deal with household waste management.

Minister Hakima El Haite

It is hoped the project will partly solve local environmental problems, including those related to vegetable oil mills and pottery kilns.

At present Fez produces 800 tons of municipal waste every day. The new plant is equipped with an enclosed flare and a capacity of 2,000 m3/h and a one megawatt generator. Hopefully, the plant should be an example for other cities of the kingdom.

This is one of Minister Hakima El Haite's pet projects as she has a long standing interest in the area, having worked as an expert for the World Bank in charge of the monitoring waste projects for the MENA Regional Project for Solid Waste Management in Mashreq and the Maghreb-METAP Project. She holds a PhD in Environmental Engineering from the Ecole des Mines de Saint Etienne (France) and a Diploma in Political Communication, University of Washington (Washington DC).

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Moroccan Dates ~ Will Production Reap 7 Billion Dirhams by 2020?

Dates in Morocco are some of the best in the world, but the industry has been struggling to increase production, global sales and to restore old palm groves. 

In a normal year, domestic production of dates amounts to over 100,000 tons. Annual consumption of dates is 3 kg per person at the national level but as high as against 15 kg in the areas where the dates are produced.

While the geographical spread of ​​date palms in Morocco is over 13 provinces located in the south-east of the country in particular Figuig, Errachidia, Tinerhir, Ouarzazate, Zagora and Tata Guelmim, the main production of dates is concentrated in three areas; Ouarzazate (41%), Tafilalet (28%) and Tata (20%).  Ouarzazate and Errachidia alone contribute about 90% of the national production of dates.

Moroccan date groves cover an area of ​​about 48,000 ha, corresponding to about 4.8 million palm trees at an average density of 100 plants per hectare, making the Kingdom the 3rd rank in the Maghreb region and the 7th globally.

The date industry is responsible for the creation of 1.6 million working days, equivalent to 6,400 permanent workers over 250 days per year.

Despite this performance, the industry faces a number of challenges, including production shortfalls and a varietal mix that is not necessarily and tailored to the needs of investors.

Morocco imports nearly 30% of dates to supply the local market so increased domestic production is a priority in order to meet domestic demand particularly during the period of Ramadan.

With the aim to promote and develop the date sector, the government has undertaken various actions to strengthen research facilities, coaching and encouraging farmers to restore and increase their palm groves

Included in the government program is a plan for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of existing palm trees on a total area of ​​48,000 ha and plantation expansion outside palm areas of ​​17,000 ha. The aim is to reach a production of 160,000 tonnes in 2020.

The government plan also aims to strengthen national availability of small palms for planting by increasing the average annual production capacity to 300,000 plants between 2010 and 2020 against 60,000 plants per year during the five-year period 2005-2009.

A date palm nursery

The plan is also investigating the development of exports of superior quality dates to reach 5,000 tonnes in 2020 against negligible amounts currently exported.

With the implementation of the Green Morocco Plan and through the considerable efforts of producers, the profession and the state, the date industry has improved significantly. Production had reached 108,000 tonnes by 2013, up 15% compared to 2010, the beginning of the  program.

This year, the news is mixed with Morocco expecting its dates output to reach 92,000 tons in 2014, down by 12 pc compared to 2013 as a result of low rainfall.

Inspecting dates at the 5th International Date Fair in Erfoud

On Thursday agriculture and sea fisheries minister, Aziz Akhannouch, speaking at the 5th international dates fair in Morocco (Sidattes 2014), said that top quality varieties destined to export will post a surplus in the 2016-2017 season, due to increased investments in high added-value varieties.

Date production’s turnover is estimated annually at 2.7 billion dh and will reach 7 billion DH in 2020 with the Kingdom expected to reach self-sufficiency with an output of 160,000 tons, Aziz Akhannouch said.

The minister also announced the a dam, with a capacity of 280 million cubic meters of water, will be built in the southeastern region of Tafilalet to irrigate around 5,000 to 6,000 hectares of palm groves.


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Ramadan ~ Feasting, Fasting ... and Wasting

Ramadan is celebrated as a month of piety, meditation, abstinence and sobriety yet Ramadan in Morocco is also the month in which the phenomenon of food waste explodes 

According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) we consume an average of 20 kg of food per person per year. Also, according to statisticians, food waste accounts for between 95 to 115 kg per person per year in Europe and North America, while it is lower in Africa and Asia with an average of 6-11 kg - except during Ramadan when the numbers skyrocket.

Mohammed Aman is an ecologist and environmentalist based in Bahrain and is a specialist on waste statistics among Muslim communities. His findings show that Moroccans throw out more than 40% of dishes every single day of Ramadan. Another statistic shows that the amount of bread alone thrown out is equivalent to 10% of Moroccan cereal imports.

"People tend to purchase three times the amount of food they actually can consume for  Iftar (Ramadan breakfast); There are six types of cooked food on the tables of Muslims during Iftar, in three times the amounts needed. This results in 40% of food being wasted every day" ~ Mohammed Aman.

There is a cost to this as people tend to prepared dishes that are more expensive than usual.  Add into this the high prices that occur during Ramadan and you understand the reason that  many households take out loans to buy food - food that they do not actually need.

During Ramadan some products have their prices double or even triple. This can be explained either by the increase in demand, or scarcity of certain products such as dates this year. In addition, some shopkeepers simply raise the price during Ramadan. This is the case of vegetable and cooking oils.

The reason for this over purchasing and under consumption does not appear to be gluttony, but rather the social pressure to provide feasts for family and friends. There is an element of pride involved which unfortunately results in wastage.

The economist Rachid Maaroufi estimates that of the 4.1 billion loaves of bread eaten during Ramadan, 120 million are thrown out. He points the finger at the government, claiming that the  eradication of informal markets has exacerbated the problem. Local markets, he says, are more effective in supply as they are directly in touch with demand. He also notes that a lack of control of the chain in cold rooms has resulted in large quantities of produce perishing quickly.

However, Maaroufi does not shy away from blaming the consumer "We can not speak of waste without mentioning the responsibility of the citizens who does not have a culture of rational consumption" he says.

Unsurprisingly, the amount of waste is higher in wealthier communities with more upscale neighborhoods throwing out as much as 70% of the food they purchased.

Bouazza Kherrati, President of the Moroccan Federation consumer rights (FMDC), says that the general public is not aware of this waste and there is enough food in the waste bins to feed an impoverished African country.

For the last two years the Moroccan Federation of Consumer Rights has campaigned against over consumption during Ramadan. This year the government also launched a number of awareness campaigns in the media and the mosques on the same subject.  Sadly consumers do not appear to have been listening.


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