Devastating floods hit southeastern Morocco causing severe losses

Several regions in the Drâa-Tafilalet area of southeastern Morocco experienced severe flooding on Friday evening due to heavy rainfall, resulting in significant material losses to residents’ properties and extensive damage to infrastructure.

In the Tinghir province, thunderstorms and hail caused road erosion, infrastructure damage, and flooding of streets and alleys. This prompted numerous local communities to mobilize their equipment to repair damaged roads and break the isolation of remote areas.

Local sources told “Al-Omq” newspaper that most of the machinery involved in repairing the damage belongs to local communities, noting the absence of intervention from the Ministry of Equipment and Water in the province. The Oasis-Tinghir group of territorial communities also placed several of its machines at the disposal of authorities to repair road tracks and end the isolation of some areas.

In Ighrem N’ougdal commune, one of the most affected areas, a woman lost her life after being swept away by flood waters. The commune’s president, Ahmed Mazouz, confirmed that residents are assessing their losses, indicating that the commune continues to repair road tracks to break the isolation of some villages.

The regional road connecting National Road No. 9 and Tidili commune in Ouarzazate was also severely damaged by the floods. The president of Ighrem N’ougdal commune stated that he contacted the Ministry of Equipment and Water regarding this road, and the ministry’s machinery intervened immediately.

Regarding losses, sources reported the death of dozens of livestock, damage to agricultural crops and fruit trees, in addition to losses affecting a number of mud houses.

These events come amid criticism of the weak response from the Ministry of Equipment and Water, which has led local communities to bear the brunt of dealing with the effects of this natural disaster.

The situation highlights the urgent need for better disaster preparedness and more coordinated response efforts between local and national authorities to mitigate the impact of such severe weather events on vulnerable communities in Morocco’s southeastern region.

About محمد الفاسي