Greenpeace Urges Morocco to Implement Disaster Risk Plan Amid Climate Concerns

Mohammed Tazrouti, campaign manager at Greenpeace Middle East and North Africa, reacted to the extreme weather events that Morocco and Algeria have had to face in recent days. According to him, these disasters "reveal the absence of the principle of climate justice between the countries of the North and the South." Moreover, he continues, the MENA region "is particularly affected by the phenomenon of climate change more than others, and consequently, it pays the highest price for its effects."

As for Morocco, climate change threatens all cities, and its "consequences can be disastrous in the future, whether in terms of life, infrastructure and the economy," the official said. It is therefore important to implement the necessary measures to deal with it.

In this sense, the national action plan for the management of disaster risks includes 5 main points divided into 18 programs and 56 projects addressing 4 types of natural disasters. These are tsunamis, soil erosion, earthquakes and floods. This plan also includes the improvement of natural risk management, knowledge and assessment and involves the participation of all stakeholders, both at the central and local levels, and especially the diversification of financing.

At the beginning of January 2021, heavy rains disrupted several road axes in Casablanca. A month later, it was Tangier’s turn to be confronted with the overflow of the sanitation infrastructure, causing the drowning death of 29 people in a basement factory of a villa. A few days ago, Tetouan and Martil were under water, due to the heavy rains that did not spare Fez.