Morocco Launches Emergency Cold Wave Response Plan for 1.7 Million Rural Residents

The beneficiary douars are located in 232 communities in 27 provinces, which have a total of 736,311 people, said Abdelouafi Laftit. And the plan, according to his explanations, includes assistance measures for the affected populations through the implementation of the steering and monitoring center at the level of the Ministry of the Interior.

Among the measures adopted are the mobilization of equipment and machinery belonging to government and private services in order to unblock the douars and ensure their connection to the telephone network. The immediate intervention by helicopters of the Royal Gendarmerie and the Ministry of Health to come to the aid of the populations in distress remains a considered possibility, and teams are mobilized for this purpose.

There is also the care and accommodation of affected persons in secure reception units in order to protect them from the cold and provide them with food and health care. The intervention approach this year will be based on that of last season, during which hundreds of people were able to be saved from the effects of the cold.

The Ministry of Equipment, Transport and Logistics is collaborating with provincial and local authorities for the opening of national, regional and provincial roads, the mobilization of snow removal equipment to ensure traffic fluidity and regular weather monitoring.

The minister also stated that the services of the territorial administration and the monitoring and follow-up commissions remain mobilized to provide all necessary support to citizens and to protect people and property, in application of the directives of King Mohammed VI.