From 22% to 51% in two decades — Morocco's water minister tells parliament 1.4 million rural homes are now connected. Over 51% of Morocco’s rural population now has individual access to drinking water, Minister of Equipment and Water Nizar Baraka told the House of Representatives on Monday. The figure marks a dramatic shift from 22% in 2004 and 30% in 2010 — and translates into approximately 1.4 million households now connected to drinking water supply. Baraka presented the numbers during parliamentary question time as evidence of progress under the National Program for Drinking Water Supply and Irrigation, launched in 2020.
Since the program’s launch through 2025, the National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water — ONEE — has invested approximately MAD 5 billion to strengthen production and supply infrastructure across rural Morocco.
The rate of individual access to drinking water in rural areas has grown from 22% in 2004 to 30% in 2010 — and now exceeds 51%, with approximately 1.4 million homes connected.
— Nizar Baraka, Minister of Equipment and Water · House of Representatives, Rabat, May 4, 2026
MAD 10 billion committed through 2030
Baraka outlined the next phase of the program: water supply will be extended by 2030 to some 11,050 douars, in addition to 7,890 more douars under the same initiative — at an estimated total cost of approximately MAD 10 billion. The project will be funded in partnership with the Ministry of the Interior, regional multi-service companies, and the Ministry of Equipment and Water itself.
The minister added that the program will gain further momentum under a new legal framework, under which regional multi-service companies will manage the water sector as part of advanced regionalization — with elected officials participating on their boards of directors.
- Source: MAP
