Moroccan Ambassador to Kenya Dr Mokhtar Ghambou (left ) shares a light moment with Meru Governor Kiraitu Murungi during a water forum conference held in Meru county recently/Photo – Courtesy
NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 2 – Morocco has called for a partnership with Kenya to boost the supply of clean water for domestic consumption and irrigation.
Moroccan ambassador to Kenya Mokhtar Ghambou said Kenya could greatly benefit from his country’s experience in water management.
“Many people wonder how an arid country like Morocco, which receives less rainfall than most African countries is among top agricultural countries in the continent. Morocco has 155 big dams, 255 small dams, and builds 3 dams every year,” noted Ghambou.
In a statement he issued after attending a water forum in Meru County recently, the ambassador said his country has embraced drip irrigation as the technology ensures there is very little wastage of the precious commodity.
“Thanks to dams the fresh water supply in urban Morocco is 100 per cent and in rural Morocco in 96 per cent,” he added.
Morocco also has several thousand boreholes and wells to capture groundwater.
Ghambou added that mobilisation of huge resources for construction of large dams has made his country have enough water stored for use during dry periods and for irrigation purposes.
His remarks comes hot on the heels of a report by National Assembly’s Environmental and Natural Resources Committee which underscored the need for more dams to boost agriculture.
The committee, in its report however urged the Government to review all major dams contracts before committing public funds.
The committee chaired by Maara MP Kareke Mbiuki recommended continuous due diligence to evaluate the capacity of contractor sto complete work.
It made the recommendations following an inquiry that sought to establish the reasons for the slow progress of construction of dams and why some projects were being allocated funds year after year.
The report said that whereas substantial resources were committed to construction of mega dams across the country, there were no plans in place to ensure the last mile connectivity was achieved
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