Water levels in Ksar El Kbir increased further with new neighborhoods submerged by water released from a dam that runs over capacity.
Due to the emergency, authorities evacuated most people of Ksar El Kbir in an operation that reached 154,000 people taken to safety.
The large-scale emergency response across the Gharb and Loukkos regions came after weeks of heavy rainfall which caused the region’s river to overflow inundating cities, villages and fields.
The rapid evacuations were key in preventing loss of life amid rising waters fueled both by rainfall and controlled releases from overfilled dams.
Morocco mobilized military helicopters, emergency crews, and medical teams as part of a coordinated rescue effort.
Helicopters were deployed under royal instructions to assist in reaching isolated flood victims, including a rescue operations.
Medical units were stationed across evacuation zones, with special attention given to pregnant women, newborns, and patients requiring continuous treatment.
Relief teams delivered food, water, and basic supplies to shelters and rural pockets cut off by rising waters.
Residents were moved to temporary accommodations in schools, camps, and public facilities, while others found refuge with relatives in safer areas such as Tangier.
In the agricultural Gharb basin, where livestock is essential to local livelihoods, authorities prioritized moving cattle to higher ground, distributing emergency feed, and establishing temporary animal shelters.
These efforts were consistent with Morocco’s broader pivot toward proactive flood-risk management, designed to reduce both human and economic losses.The crisis unfolded as the Oued El Makhazine Dam- one of the country’s largest water reservoirs- reached full capacity following months of unusually intense rainfall.
Controlled releases totaling more than 372 million cubic meters were initiated to protect dam integrity, though these discharges contributed to downstream flooding.
National dam-filling levels climbed to approximately 62%, officially ending Morocco’s seven-year drought even as the resulting overflow created new challenges for emergency planners.
