On September 29, 2026, a significant study published in the journal HydroResearch has brought to light contrasting trends within Casablanca's water supply network from 2016 to 2020. While physical leaks in the city's water infrastructure have notably decreased, there has been a staggering increase of nearly 50% in volumes of water consumed but not accurately recorded. This study meticulously analyzed technical, financial, and operational data from Casablanca's water network over a six-year period, shedding light on the nuanced dynamics of water loss in the region.
Between 2016 and 2020, the volume of water injected into the network rose from 198.33 million cubic meters to 213.33 million cubic meters. Correspondingly, total losses surged from 44.87 million cubic meters to 48.39 million cubic meters during the same timeframe. This rise, however, conceals two opposing trends: actual losses, primarily resulting from leaks in pipes, connections, and reservoirs, decreased by 5.5%, declining from 33.98 million cubic meters to 32.10 million cubic meters. In stark contrast, apparent losses skyrocketed by 49.7%, from 10.88 million cubic meters to 16.29 million cubic meters. This apparent loss does not imply that water has simply leaked into the ground; rather, it indicates that while water was distributed, it was not measured or billed accurately.
Addressing the Issues of Water Consumption and Measurement
The discrepancies in water accounting can be attributed to inaccurate meters, errors in customer files, issues with reading data, and unauthorized consumption. Consequently, researchers assert that merely repairing the pipelines is insufficient; Casablanca must also enhance its metering systems, billing practices, and data quality to effectively combat this issue. Despite these challenges, the network maintained an efficiency rate of approximately 77% during the analyzed period, achieving 77.32% in 2020. Furthermore, the authors calculated an economic threshold for losses at 40.67 cubic meters per customer annually, compared to the 35.65 cubic meters that were actually observed in 2020. This threshold does not serve as a target but rather indicates the point at which the cost of reducing overall losses surpasses the financial value of the water saved. Consequently, the study recommends that interventions should focus on the most problematic areas rather than applying uniform investments across the entire network.
It is important to note that the data utilized in this study concludes in 2020, thus not reflecting the current status of the water network, particularly in light of the worsening tensions regarding water supply in Casablanca and the new initiatives aimed at securing the metropolis's water resources. An additional indicator suggests that despite some technical progress, the situation remains dire: the infrastructure leakage index fell from 7.20 to 6.24 but remained significantly higher than the theoretical benchmark set at 1. Therefore, researchers advocate for the continuation of targeted repairs while also addressing the 16.29 million cubic meters of water that escaped accurate metering and billing.
As reported by bladi.net.
