فاس نيوز ميديا جريدة الكترونية جهوية تعنى بشؤون و أخبار جهة فاس مكناس – متجددة على مدار الساعة
In a desperate cry after more than two decades of suffering, the residents of Al-Zawalegh neighborhood in the Bouzmelan center, part of the Taza province, have sent an urgent letter to the Minister of Interior, calling for immediate intervention to alleviate the severe health and environmental damage caused by the absence of a proper sewage system in their area.
The letter reveals a grim daily reality for the residents, whose lives have turned into unbearable torment due to the lack of a functional sewage network. The local municipality has resorted to forcing affected citizens to purchase “plastic pipes” as a makeshift solution instead of using standard sewage pipes. Some residents reluctantly accepted this temporary fix, while the municipality provided excavation machinery to bury these plastic pipes, which do not meet the required technical standards in sewage infrastructure. This stopgap measure has only worsened the crisis.
According to the complaint, the neighborhood suffers from the constant spread of foul odors emanating from sewage drains, alongside the proliferation of harmful insects throughout the year. This has transformed their homes and surroundings into hotspots for diseases. More alarmingly, residents link this deteriorating health situation to the emergence of serious illnesses among them, including cases of cancer and skin diseases.
The damage is not limited to health issues but extends to a real environmental catastrophe. The nearby Bouzmelan River has become a dumping ground for waste and sewage, resulting in contamination of the groundwater. Residents claim that this pollution has caused sewage to leak into nearby springs, rendering them unfit even for drinking, posing a direct threat to the health and safety of all families in the area.
The letter also states that the residents have previously appealed to all local authorities without any positive response, which compelled them to escalate their complaint to the central government, hoping that the Ministry of Interior will heed their plea.
In conclusion, the residents, who sent copies of their letter to the Governor of Taza Province, the Head of Tahla District, and the Commander of Bouzmelan, demand that the competent authorities urgently establish a new sewage network that complies with standards, to put an end to this tragedy and secure their fundamental right to a healthy environment and dignified living.
The hope of Al-Zawalegh residents now rests on a swift response from the Ministry of Interior to rescue them from this health and environmental hazard that has overshadowed their lives and those of their children for more than twenty years, and to finally end their long-standing suffering.
