Morocco declares end of seven-year drought after winter rains

People take shelter from the rain on a flooded street during stormy weather in the northern Moroccan town of Fnideq. (File/AFP)
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Updated 12 January 2026
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Morocco declares end of seven-year drought after winter rains

  • Rainfall levels so far this winter are up 95 percent from a year earlier and 17 percent ‌above the ‌seasonal average, ‌Baraka ⁠told ​members of ‌parliament

RABAT: Morocco’s seven-year drought has come to an end after abundant ​rainfall this winter, Water Minister Nizar Baraka said on Monday.
Rainfall levels so far this winter are up 95 percent from a year earlier and 17 percent ‌above the ‌seasonal average, ‌Baraka ⁠told ​members of ‌parliament.
The average dam-filling rate has risen to 46 percent, with several key reservoirs now at full capacity, official data showed.
The rainfal has ⁠provided relief to the agricultural ‌sector after years of ‍water restrictions.

Seven ‍years of drought had ‍depleted Morocco’s dams, cut the wheat harvest, reduced the national cattle herd, caused heavy job ​losses in farming and pushed the country to ⁠accelerate its desalination plans.

Morocco aims to supply 60 percent of its drinking water from treated seawater by 2030, up from a previous 25 percent, while leaving dam water for the inner regions of the country, Baraka told ‌Reuters in December.


Syria evacuates flood-affected residents of displacement camps in Idlib

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Syria evacuates flood-affected residents of displacement camps in Idlib

  • Emergency teams conduct drainage operations, clear culverts within camps, reopen more than 25 roads, 30 water channels
  • Teams coordinate with Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor, Idlib governor’s office to oversee distribution of humanitarian aid

LONDON: Authorities from the Syrian Arab Republic have evacuated dozens of families from six displacement camps in western Idlib in the past two days after severe weather caused flooding and damage.

Raed Al-Saleh, the Syrian minister of emergency and disaster management, said 173 families had been moved from camps in Badama and Khirbet Al-Jouz to temporary shelter centers in Idlib Governorate.

Emergency teams have conducted drainage operations, cleared culverts within the camps, reopened more than 25 roads and 30 water channels, and removed five earthen berms as part of preparation for further weather systems, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency.

They are coordinating with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor, and the Idlib governor’s office to oversee the distribution of humanitarian aid.

A rubble removal and road restoration project in Jabal Al-Akrad in the Latakia Governorate has also been initiated to help facilitate residents’ return, the SANA added.

Heavy rainfall in northern and western Syria has resulted in flash floods since Saturday that have swept through areas near seasonal waterways in western Idlib Governorate. The floods have submerged several tents and prompted authorities to evacuate families and open temporary shelters for those displaced.