The ongoing tension between Morocco and Algeria shows no signs of abating. While the two neighbors are at odds over numerous issues, most notably the Western Sahara, a new front has opened between them concerning water resources. Algeria has accused its western neighbor of reducing its share of water from a river that flows from Moroccan territory into Algeria. The Wadi Kheer or Guir, which originates in the High Atlas Mountains in Morocco and flows into southwestern Algeria, has become the focal point of a new dispute between the two countries.
The French newspaper Le Monde reported that Algeria raised the issue of the river twice at the international level. On the sidelines of the World Water Forum in May 2024, Algerian Water Minister Taha Derbal spoke of “deliberate and systematic drying of water” from certain areas on the western border due to “practices by neighboring countries.” In October, during a meeting in Slovenia regarding the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes, Morocco was accused of “obstructing” and “destroying transboundary surface water.” At the heart of the controversy is the Kadoussa Dam, built by Morocco with a capacity of 220 million cubic meters. Algeria claims that this dam has reduced the flow of water to the Algerian Yellow Cliff Dam, one of the largest dams in Algeria.
The newspaper reported that Algerian media outlets have spoken of an “environmental disaster” due to the declining water levels in this dam, citing fish deaths, bird migration, and public anger over severe water shortages. The Algerian newspaper El Watan reported that some neighborhoods in the Béchar region receive water only once every ten days. On social media, the topic of a “water war” fuels anti-propaganda on both sides of the border. In Morocco, media outlets close to the authorities describe the accusations as “unbelievable” and attribute them to “Algeria’s obsession with Morocco.”
The Moroccan website 360 stated that “Algeria’s regime is attacking Morocco to algeria its catastrophic water management,” while the website Parliament accused Algeria of “politicizing everything, from sports jerseys to weather forecasts.” On the other hand, Moroccan authorities do not seem to be responding to Algeria’s accusations, maintaining their policy of dam construction. Approximately twenty dams are currently under construction in the kingdom, adding to the 154 already in place. From a scientific perspective, a French researcher told Le Monde that Morocco used to exploit about 8 million cubic meters of water from the river annually before the dam was built, using traditional irrigation systems. Now, that figure has risen to 30 million cubic meters per year. However, the same researcher pointed out that the Wadi Kheer receives other tributaries that partially compensate for this loss, making Algeria’s losses relatively limited. The newspaper noted that the water war hides significant economic stakes for both countries. In Algeria, massive projects require water, such as the large iron complex near Béchar, which needs vast amounts of water to process iron ore from the Gara Djebilet mine. Meanwhile, Morocco continues to bet on agriculture, especially in the Boudnib region downstream from the Kadoussa Dam, where the area is seeing significant expansion in palm cultivation through large farms and artificial water complexes.
A report by the French magazine Jeune Afrique reviewed the tension between Morocco and Algeria, particularly over water, asking whether a water war is imminent between the two countries. The magazine mentioned that “the city of Tiaret in northwestern Algeria witnessed violent riots due to water shortages, with roads blocked and water tankers seized, as residents condemned the authorities’ inaction and the suspension of drinking water projects, coupled with strict rationing. Since then, several ministers have been sent to apologize to the residents and promise to restore water access.” The magazine noted that the Bekhadda Dam, which supplies the region with water, is located more than 500 kilometers from the Moroccan-Algerian border. Algerian Water Minister Taha Derbal publicly accused Morocco of orchestrating the worsening drought in his country, which has become increasingly concerning. The intensity of the statements made on the sidelines of the 10th International Water Forum, held in Bali, Italy, from May 18 to 24 last year, shocked many.
Moroccan authorities did not respond to these controversial statements, and Moroccan media ignored the Algerian accusations, labeling the minister as populist. However, the magazine noted that the hydrological interconnection between the two countries at the border is a geographical reality. The magazine quoted Mohamed Said Karrouk, a climatology professor at Hassan II University in Casablanca, as saying that Morocco’s advantage lies in the fact that its water resources originate within its national territory. In other words, none of the country’s rivers or valleys have their source outside the kingdom’s borders, which is a strong asset. However, global warming contributes to the scarcity of “blue gold,” a challenge Morocco is not immune from. Jeune Afrique also pointed out that another point of contention lies in the consequences of using the waters of Wadi Guir, one of the longest valleys in North Africa (433 km), which originates in Morocco’s High Atlas Mountains and meets Algerian territory at Wadi Zouzfana. However, Wadi Zouzfana feeds Algeria’s fourth-largest dam, the Djorf Torba Dam, built in the 1960s with a capacity of 365 million cubic meters, providing drinking water to the residents of Béchar.
Amid the region’s endemic drought, aging hydraulic infrastructure, and the operation of Morocco’s Kadoussa Dam (220 million cubic meters) in 2021, the flow of sediment has significantly decreased. By the summer of 2022, several videos showed thousands of dead freshwater fish at the bottom of the dry dam, according to the magazine’s report. It added, “The following year, in Morocco, the authorities maintained the course of the National Water Plan 2020-2050.” The Hydraulic Basin Agency in the Errachidia region alone announced the completion of three dams with a total capacity of 5 million cubic meters. The Kadoussa Dam project, which cost 650 million dirhams, was designed as part of the national agricultural strategy, the Green Morocco Plan, launched in 2008.
