At the heart of the Greater Casablanca urban programme, the Zenata eco-city is set to accommodate 300,000 residents by 2030. It is in this new town – designed as a model of excellence in terms of services and environmental footprint – that setec has provided support for a pioneering rainwater recycling project.
“Since the creation of sewerage networks in the last century, rainwater has been treated as a risk to be controlled. With rainfall becoming increasingly scarce, it is now recognised as a precious resource,” explains Rabab Amajjout, Manager of the Cities and Regions department at setec Maroc.
Preserving drinking water resources
The setec teams designed a rainwater recovery system for Tanmia Secondary School, drawing inspiration from traditional local hydraulic expertise, where each household had its own storage facilities. Their studies led to the installation of a system to collect water from roofs and open spaces: the water is channelled into three underground tanks with a total capacity of 150 m³, to be used in place of drinking water for flushing toilets, cleaning surfaces and watering green spaces. This is expected to save at least two months’ worth of annual consumption, according to initial projections.
The setec group also oversaw the construction works and commissioning of this demonstration project, which highlights the region’s commitment to adaptation and resilience in the face of increasing aridity. “We have demonstrated that it is possible to carry out work on an existing building at a controlled cost to implement an effective solution. Not to mention that installing this system in a secondary school has significant educational value in terms of the need for sustainable water management,” concludes Rabab Amajjout.