Recent rainfall increases the capacity of six dams in the Souss-Massa region.

According to the data, the total water storage in these reservoirs at 8 a.m. on Monday, 17 March, stood at 148,146 million cubic metres, representing 20 percent of capacity. By comparison, the water stock on 13 March last year was 101,261 million cubic metres, or 13.7 percent. The combined capacity of all the reservoirs is 740,774 million cubic metres. The Souss‑Massa river basin contains nine dams – large, medium and small. Recent rainfall has refilled only three of them, delivering substantial water imports, while the remaining dams received only minor inflows; two dams have received no water since the recent rains began. In numerical terms, the region’s largest dam, the “Youssef Ben Tashfin” reservoir, now has a 14.5 percent fill rate, with a current stock of 43,183 million cubic metres against a total capacity of 298,200 million cubic metres. The second‑largest by volume, the “Abdul Moumen” dam (capacity 198.4 billion cubic metres), is at a 3.6 percent fill rate, holding 7.048 million cubic metres of water. The third‑largest, “Prince Moulay Abdullah” (total capacity 90.6 billion cubic metres), has reached a 48.5 percent fill, with 43.930 million cubic metres on hand. The “Uluz” reservoir, which supplies irrigation water to farms in the Kurdan basin, is at a 49.5 percent fill, holding 44,028 million cubic metres. The “Ahl Souss” dam’s level rose to 21.8 percent, with 0.98 million cubic metres stored. Likewise, the “Amy El Khank” dam reached a 16.8 percent fill, storing 1,639 million cubic metres, while the “Sidi Abdullah” dam increased to a 70.8 percent level, with an estimated 7,338 million cubic metres of water. The “Mokhtar Soussi” dam received no water during the recent rains, remaining a dry reservoir whose water has been depleted for some time. The “Dakhila” dam also saw no inflows, despite a 70.8 percent fill; its total capacity is modest, not exceeding 0.2 billion cubic metres. According to the same sources, these recent rains have revived hopes among Souss‑Massa farmers, both by raising groundwater levels and by increasing the storage of several irrigation dams, such as the “Uluz” reservoir.