SYND 17 3 80 KING HASSAN INAUGURATES MASSIRA DAM

(13 Mar 1980) After four years of work carried out with the financial aid Saudi Arabia, Morocco this week inaugurated the Massira Dam, the largest on its territory. Located in the south, between Marrakesh and Casablanca, on the Oum Er Rbia river, the dam will hold back 2,800,000,000 cubic metres of water (about 30,000,000,000 cubic feet) covering an area of 170 sq. kms (about 70 sq. miles). The dam will serve to irrigate the coastal region between Casablanca and Safi and will supply water to the industrial region of Jorf al Asfar, and to nearby phosphate works. Among other benefits to be derived from this vast new energy source will be the irrigation of some 50,000 hectares (about 125,000 acres) of potentially valuable agricultural land in the Doukala region. Between 800 and 1,000 workers took part in the construction of the Massira Dam, which took nearly four years to finish. The labour force included several dozen foreign technicians from France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland. A crowd of 100,000 witnessed the inauguration ceremony carried out by King Hassan II.

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