Following the exceptionally severe weather conditions that have affected Morocco over the past two months, particularly in the Gharb plain and Loukkos, King Mohammed VI has instructed the government to roll out a major aid and support program for affected families and populations, and to take the regulatory measures required in such circumstances.
Following the Royal instructions that translate the King’s steadfast care for the citizens and his keenness to preserve their safety and improve their living conditions, the Head of Government has issued a decree declaring this extreme weather a catastrophic event and the most affected communes of the four provinces (Larache, Kénitra, Sidi Kacem and Sidi Slimane) disaster areas, a press release from the office of the Head of Government says.
The government has set up an aid and support program with a projected budget of three billion dirhams, based on a careful and in-depth assessment of the situation on the ground and an accurate evaluation of the economic and social repercussions of these extreme weather conditions.
The program provides for aid for rehousing, loss of income, rehabilitation of affected homes and small businesses, and reconstruction of collapsed homes. This part of the program amounts to MAD 775 million.
Another amount of MAD 225 million will be devoted to aid in kind and to the reinforcement of emergency interventions on the ground, in order to meet the essential and immediate needs of the population.
The amount destined to help farmers and livestock breeders totals MAD 300 million.
Meanwhile, investments for the rehabilitation of roads and hydro-agricultural infrastructure, as well as for the rehabilitation of basic networks, will amount to MAD 1.7 billion.
The King has also issued his instructions to the government to ensure that this program is conducted in an exemplary, swift, and responsible manner, enabling citizens in the affected areas to return to normal living conditions as soon as possible, the press release points out.
The exceptional weather conditions experienced by the Kingdom caused flooding of over 110,000 hectares and led to the displacement of nearly 188,000 people in the provinces of Larache, Kenitra, Sidi Kacem, and Sidi Slimane, the press release recalls.
