Ksar El Kébir: Continued mobilization as weather disturbances return

Evacuation operations to neighboring cities have been ongoing without interruption since the end of last week, as part of a comprehensive mobilization by local authorities and various stakeholders, including civil and military authorities.

This situation has had a noticeable impact on the pace of daily life in the city, which has lost much of its usual dynamism, amid expectations of an intensification of climatic disturbances in the coming days.

In a red-level alert bulletin, the General Directorate of Meteorology forecasts heavy rainfall, sometimes thundery, with accumulations that could reach 100 to 150 mm in several provinces within the Loukkos river basin, notably Chefchaouen, Tetouan, Ouezzane and Larache, on Wednesday from 00:00 to 23:00.

Under these exceptional circumstances, local authorities are accompanying many citizens wishing to temporarily leave their homes in Ksar El Kébir, out of fear of a new rise in the waters of the Loukkos River, which could once again lead to flooding in several neighborhoods of the city.

In this regard, significant efforts are being made to assist residents of flood-prone areas in reaching safe locations, inside or outside the city. This ongoing operation has mobilized more than 70 buses and several trains to transport citizens wishing to travel to nearby cities.

With the exception of higher-lying neighborhoods, residents have left their homes and shopkeepers have closed their businesses in at-risk areas, leading to a marked slowdown in life in this usually very lively city, considered a key passage between the North and the center of the Kingdom.

Moreover, in anticipation of a rise in the waters of the Loukkos River, several residents have built dikes using bricks and cement or placed sandbags in front of their homes and shops to limit damage.

In this context, Youssef, a shopkeeper at the Sidi Bouhmed market in the city center, said he preferred to close his shop, like other merchants, in response to the instructions issued in this exceptional situation, which call for following weather bulletins and the directives of local authorities. He expressed hope for an improvement in conditions and a limitation of risks.

For his part, Hassan, a category II taxi driver, said he chose to remain in the city, as he lives in a neighborhood not threatened by a rise in the waters of the Loukkos River. He stated that he has never faced such a situation during his 40 years in Ksar El Kébir.

He also noted that, in solidarity during these difficult times, he is transporting citizens wishing to leave the city free of charge to the bus assembly point for departures to other destinations.

Editorial team/le7tv