Moroccan Residents Begin Returning to Flood-Hit Northwest as Waters Recede
Residents return to Ksar El Kebir as Moroccan authorities manage floods and plan infrastructure recovery.
- 188,000 people were evacuated from northwest Morocco during severe flooding.
- Government pledges $330 million to rebuild infrastructure and support affected residents.
- Exceptional winter rainfall ends seven-year drought and fills dams to 70% capacity.
Authorities in Morocco have started facilitating the gradual return of residents to Ksar El Kebir and surrounding areas after severe flooding in the northwest, state media reported on Monday.
Since early February, the army and civil authorities helped evacuate 188,000 people from areas affected by overflowing rivers, which submerged roughly 110,000 hectares. Most residents of Ksar El Kebir, located 213 km north of Rabat, are now allowed to return, though some neighbourhoods remain off-limits, according to the interior ministry.
Free train and bus services were provided to bring back residents who had stayed with relatives or in emergency shelters, state TV said.
The government announced plans to invest 3 billion dirhams ($330 million) to upgrade infrastructure and support affected residents, farmers, and shop-owners, officially declaring the hardest-hit municipalities as disaster zones.
The flooding followed exceptional rainfall and the gradual release of water from the Oued Makhazine dam, which had reached 160% of its capacity. Rising waters in the Loukous River inundated Ksar El Kebir and surrounding plains.
Winter rainfall in the region was 35% above the long-term average and three times higher than last year, according to official data. National dam-filling rates rose to nearly 70%, up from 27% a year earlier, with several major dams partially emptied to manage the inflows.
The heavy rains ended a seven-year drought, which had previously led Morocco to increase investments in desalination and water management.
