Water Security in Dakhla: Investments to Preserve Resources and Strengthen Networks

The Dakhla-Oued Eddahab Multi-Services Regional Company is actively engaged in implementing investment programs aimed at rehabilitating and strengthening drinking water and wastewater networks, enhancing their efficiency as part of efforts to bolster water security in the region and meet its evolving needs.

One of the key initiatives under this framework is the project for the Al Wahda neighborhood in Dakhla. This project involves the renewal of several dozen kilometers of networks and thousands of household connections, alongside new wastewater infrastructure, with a total investment of approximately 120 million dirhams.

In the water sector, the company prioritizes improving infrastructure, increasing the performance of distribution networks, reducing leaks, and enhancing the continuity of supply. These goals are pursued concurrently with the development of remote monitoring and management solutions.

Al Wahda Neighborhood: A Structural Project for the Rehabilitation of Water and Sanitation Networks

As part of this endeavor, the Dakhla-Oued Eddahab Multi-Services Regional Company is implementing a project focused on renewing, rehabilitating, and strengthening drinking water and wastewater networks in the Al Wahda neighborhood of Dakhla.

The project includes the renewal of about 47 kilometers of drinking water pipelines, with diameters ranging from 75 to 400 millimeters, as well as the replacement of approximately 4,000 direct household connections.

Regarding wastewater, the project plans to renew about 20 kilometers of pipes and around 4,000 domestic connections, aiming to improve network performance and reduce recurring clogs and overflows.

For the first time in the city of Dakhla, the project will also include the construction of a tunnel-bored collector extending approximately 1,008 meters, intended to collect wastewater from the Al Wahda neighborhood and direct it to the pumping station.

The total cost of the first two phases of the project is about 120 million dirhams, with an expected project duration of less than one year, according to information provided by the company.

One Million Cubic Meters of Water: Resource Conservation at the Heart of the Project

The project’s objectives extend beyond infrastructure renewal; they also focus on improving network performance and achieving tangible water resource savings.

According to information from the Dakhla-Oued Eddahab Multi-Services Regional Company, the project is expected to save approximately one million cubic meters of water, equating to nearly 15% of Dakhla’s overall needs.

This conservation is primarily based on reducing leaks and enhancing the efficiency of the distribution network, thereby limiting losses and optimizing the volumes of water pumped and distributed.

In this perspective, investment in networks is not just about renewing pipelines; it is also one of the levers in water-saving policy, particularly in a region where the limitation of conventional water resources necessitates solutions to improve the efficiency of the entire supply chain.

Wastewater Management: Improving Service and Protecting the Aquifer

The company’s interventions also extend to the wastewater management system. The project aims to address several recurring congestion points and reduce overflow phenomena observed in the Al Wahda neighborhood.

Renewing pipelines and household connections, as well as the construction of the new collector, will improve the collection of wastewater and its transportation to the pumping station.

The project also has an environmental dimension, as it seeks to minimize the infiltration of wastewater into the aquifer, thus contributing to the protection of groundwater resources and limiting environmental impacts related to untreated water discharges.

Networks and Remote Monitoring

In parallel with the rehabilitation of infrastructure, the Dakhla-Oued Eddahab Multi-Services Regional Company is working on developing a remote monitoring and management system for drinking water and wastewater networks.

This system includes the installation of 19 continuous monitoring devices linked to a remote intervention center. It will enable tracking flows and pressures within the network, controlling the quality of the distributed water, and equipping the company’s reservoirs with monitoring devices.

The system also contemplates equipping pumping stations with gas detection and monitoring devices, thereby enhancing safety conditions and protecting personnel, while keeping track of water levels within these stations.

These facilities will facilitate the creation of an accurate database, aiding in anticipating interventions, reducing technical intervention times, and improving operational efficiency and precision on the ground.

Water Security: A Strategy Beyond Water Supply

These projects align with a broader vision adopted by the Dakhla-Oued Eddahab Multi-Services Regional Company to enhance water management systems in the region, amid constraints on conventional resources and increasing demands.

In addition to improving networks and reducing leaks, the company is focusing on diversifying water sources and developing non-conventional water resources, particularly through desalination of seawater and water treatment, to bolster the region’s capacity to ensure a reliable supply of potable water.

Within its mandates, the company manages drinking water distribution and wastewater services across the region. These services are essential components of the infrastructure required to support the urban and economic development taking place in Dakhla-Oued Eddahab.

Thus, network rehabilitation projects complement investments related to desalination, treatment, and water reuse, framed within an approach that considers water savings, improved network efficiency, resource diversification, and environmental protection as interlinked aspects of water security.

In this dynamic, the Dakhla-Oued Eddahab Multi-Services Regional Company views infrastructure not merely as conduits for transporting water, but as a component of an integrated system aimed at conserving resources, enhancing the efficiency of their use, and ensuring service continuity for present and future generations.

Because investment in water should not only focus on seeking new resources but also on protecting every available drop, improving network efficiency, and adopting a more precise and proactive management approach.