US agency grants morocco's drinking water office $ 400,000

The US Trade and Development Agency (TDA) extended Morocco's ONEP (National Office of Drinking Water) a $400,000 grant to finance a feasibility study on the use of ozonation in water treatment and filtration by active coal.

The grant agreement was signed on Wednesday by US ambassador Margaret Tutwiler and ONEP Director General, Ali Fassi Fihri.

The new technique, to be adopted in the Bou Regreg water treatment facility, will replace water treatment by chlorine, using ozonation followed by filtration on activated coal. Such a substitution would improve water quality produced by this important water treatment facility, which supplies four million persons living in the coastal zone between Sale and Casablanca.

The selected American consultant will examine technical options and prepare a financing strategy.

Earlier this week the US Agency also extended Morocco's Office of oil prospecting and exploitation a $399,880 grant for a feasibility study to support a Geographic Information System and Information Technology Project. ONAREP will select an American contractor to design a GIS-based "information flow system" for oil and natural gas exploration and production in Morocco.