2005 - 2006 - Pinsent Masons Water Yearbook 2012

MOROCCO PART 2: COUNTRY ANALYSIS
Freshwater
Annual availability (1998) 30.0km³
Per capita 1,071m 3
Annual withdrawal (1993) 11.1km³
Domestic (1992) 5%
Industrial (1992) 3%
Agriculture (1992) 92%
Privatisation proposals and progress
Since the enactment of the 1995 National Water Plan, Morocco has sought to privatise most of its
major urban utility services and has been notably keen to attract international management and
finance. To date, 35% of the urban water and sewerage sector has been privatised, with the
privatisation of a further 25-30% under way.
Groundwater
Annual availability (1998) 7.5km³
Per capita 268m 3
Annual withdrawal (1985) 3.0km³
Casablanca and Rabat
In 1997, Lyonnaise des Eaux de Casablanca (Lydec) was awarded the 30 year Urban Community of
Casablanca (UCC) concession contract. This was part of the overall privatisation of Casablanca’s
urban services, which is described in the Suez entry. The water contract is worth DH5 billion
(US$517 million), for the expansion and upgrading of water distribution and treatment. 75% of the
population is currently connected, which will increase to 85% in 5 years, 95% in 10 and 100% in 25
years, price rises were seen in years 2 to 5. The wastewater contract is worth DH16 billion (US$1.6
billion). It involves the construction of three WWTW's, including recovery systems and the creation
and extension of the sewerage network in development zones of Western Casablanca. Currently 7%
of the population is connected to the sewerage network. In 1998, Lydec water and sewerage
accounted for US$100 million in turnover (30% of the total) and 60% of investment, reflecting the
need to upgrade and extend the city’s water and sewerage services. By 2004, 25 million m 3 per
annum of water losses had been addressed, equivalent to 800,000 people’s need.
Service development 1997 2002
Water connections 440,000 590,000
Unaccounted for water 38.9% 27.7%
Application of cross subsidies
Block tariffs, 2005 Consumption Per Tariff
month
Mdh/m 3
1 st section 0–8 m 3 2.92
2 nd section 9–20 m 3 9.69
3 rd section 21–40 m 3 13.20
4 th section >40 m 3 13.25
Most of the water (649 million m 3 out of 814 million m 3 in 1999) is bought from ONEP, the National
Drinking Water Administration, for 3.95mdh/m 3 meaning that water for essential use is directly
subsidised by LYDEC. As a result, 50% of customers pay less than US$3 per month. LYDEC is
obliged to make 45,000 low income connections every five years, and in addition is training staff to
extend services to 10,600 households in informal peri-urban settlements outside its operational remit
in 2004.
Approximately 14% of LYDEC’s equity was sold on the Casablanca Bourse on 18 th July 2005, 80% of
the shares being bought by local investors. Suez continues to hold 51% of LYDEC, with the
remaining 35% being held by Moroccan institutions.
The privatisation of Rabat utility services was awarded to Electricidade de Portugal and Pleiade
(Portugal), Alborada (Morocco) and Urbaser (Dragados), with a 30 year concession. Rabat’s utilities
142 Pinsent Masons Water Yearbook 2005 – 2006