gravity dam
A gravity dam is a dam constructed from concrete or stone masonry and designed to hold back water by using only the weight of the material and its resistance against the foundation. Gravity dams are designed so that each section of the dam is ...
located south of
Settat
Settat () is a city in Morocco between the national capital Rabat and Marrakesh. Settat is located by road south of the centre of Casablanca, roughly an hour's drive. It is the capital of Settat Province and is its largest city in both size and ...
on the
Oum Er-Rbia River
Oum Er-Rbia () is a large, long and high-throughput river in central Morocco.
The river is long. With an average water throughput of 105 m3/s, Oum Er-Rbia is the second-largest river in Morocco after the Sebou River. It originates in the M ...
in
Settat Province
Settat () is a province of Morocco in the Casablanca-Settat Regions of Morocco, Region. The province had a population of 956,904 people in 2004.
The Wali (administrative title), Wali (governor) of the region is Bouchaib El Moutawakkil. The majo ...
,
Morocco
Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...
. Completed in 1979, the dam provides water for the irrigation of over of farmland in the
Doukkala
Doukkala (, ) is a natural region of Morocco made of fertile plains and forests. Nowadays it is part of the Casablanca-Settat administrative region.
It is a plain stretching from the Atlantic Ocean south of Sidi Rahal Chatai up to some 50 ...
region. The dam's hydroelectric power plant also generates on average annually. The power station was commissioned in 1980. Just north of the dam is a rip rap saddle dam that supports water elevation in the reservoir.
Environment
The dam's reservoir and wetlands were designated as a
Ramsar site
A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O)
*** Permanent 8 ha (P)
*** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts)
**
Important Bird Area
An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations.
IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...
(IBA) by
BirdLife International
BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding i ...
because they support significant populations of wintering
waterbird
A water bird, alternatively waterbird or aquatic bird, is a bird that lives on or around water. In some definitions, the term ''water bird'' is especially applied to birds in freshwater ecosystems, although others make no distinction from seabi ...
s, including
ruddy shelduck
The ruddy shelduck (''Tadorna ferruginea''), known in India as the Brahminy duck, is a bird species in the family Anatidae. It is a distinctive waterfowl, in length with a wingspan of . It has orange-brown body plumage with a paler head, whil ...
s,
marbled teal
The marbled duck or marbled teal (''Marmaronetta angustirostris'') is a medium-sized species of duck from southern Europe, northern Africa, and western and central Asia. The scientific name, ''Marmaronetta angustirostris'', comes from the Greek ' ...
s,
northern shoveler
The northern shoveler (; ''Spatula clypeata''), known simply in Britain as the shoveler, is a common and widespread duck. It breeds in northern areas of Europe and throughout the Palearctic and across most of North America, and winters in southe ...
s and
gull-billed tern
The gull-billed tern (''Gelochelidon nilotica''), formerly ''Sterna nilotica'', is a tern in the family Laridae. It is widely distributed and breeds in scattered localities in Europe, Asia, northwest Africa, and the Americas. The Australian gul ...
s.
In 2024 analysis of satellite images of the dam by the BBC revealed the volume of water was 3% of the amount present nine years previously. The country had suffered from six consecutive years of drought. The Moroccan water ministry told the BBC that use of the dam's water for irrigating farmland had been suspended since 2021, the water being reserved for supplying cities such as
Casablanca
Casablanca (, ) is the largest city in Morocco and the country's economic and business centre. Located on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Chaouia (Morocco), Chaouia plain in the central-western part of Morocco, the city has a populatio ...
and
Marrakesh
Marrakesh or Marrakech (; , ) is the fourth-largest city in Morocco. It is one of the four imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakesh–Safi Regions of Morocco, region. The city lies west of the foothills of the Atlas Mounta ...
. Many of the springs in the Middle Atlas mountains, which feed the reservoir, had dried-up. Reduced snowfall at higher altitude had also contributed to less meltwater flowing into the streams feeding the dam. In August 2023 Morocco recorded a record highest-ever temperature of 50.4C which caused an increase in evaporation, adding to a reduction in water's level.
List of power stations in Morocco
This article lists all power stations in Morocco.
Hydroelectric
Thermal
Solar
Wind
See also
* List of power stations in Africa
* List of largest power stations in the world
* Energy in Morocco
* Energy policy of Morocco
Referenc ...