Last Friday, September 6, it began to rain heavily in some southern provinces of Morocco. One year after the earthquake of September 2023, the country succumbs once again to the force of nature. According to the latest data from the Moroccan Ministry of the Interior on the provisional assessment of losses and damages caused by the intense rains, a total of 17 deaths have been recorded, including three foreigners and one Spaniard.
Official sources from the Foreign Affairs explain: “There is a Spanish citizen who died in Morocco in a road accident caused by torrential rains. The family is informed by the Consulate. “The deputy consul in Casablanca went to Marrakech to provide all necessary assistance.”
The figures show Tata province as the worst hit by the floods, which have left ten people dead.
Three people died in Errachidia, including a Canadian and a Peruvian. Regarding the rest of the affected provinces, two people died in Tiznit, two others in Tinguir, among whom is the Spaniard, and finally one more in Taroudant. In addition, the searches of emergency teams continue to find the four people missing in Tata.
Regarding material damage, the same official source reported the collapse of about 56 homes, 27 of which were completely damaged, as well as the total or partial collapse of 8 medium-sized infrastructures. So far, technical interventions have made it possible to repair the damage caused to the drinking water, telephone and electricity supply networks, as well as to restore water and telecommunications services.
Road access to the affected areas remains blocked in some parts of the region. Out of 110 roadblocks, about 84 roads have been restored so far.
An expected and unusual weather event
In Tata, one of the most affected points, about 250 liters of rain per square meter fell in 48 hours. In other points such as Tinguir or Ouarzazate, the latter known as one of the tourist enclaves of the country, 114 mm and 82 mm were recorded respectively. According to the Moroccan authorities, the rainfall recorded last weekend represents about half of the rainfall recorded in these regions over an entire year.
Last Thursday, September 5, Morocco’s General Directorate of Meteorology (DGM) issued a red alert bulletin for the weekend, warning of rain. These rains are caused by the movement of the Intertropical Convergence Zone over the north of the continent. So far, the Moroccan government has asked residents and tourists in the region to avoid visiting or traveling through the affected areas.
Heavy rains in North Africa and the Sahel
Morocco is not the only country in the region affected by torrential rains. In southern Algeria, three people died in the towns of Taanrasset, Naama and Illizi, including a girl. Dozens of other people were rescued in other parts of the country such as Tindouf, Béchar and Beni Abbès.
In the Sahel, rising temperatures due to climate change have also led to one of the deadliest rainy seasons in the region. Since the end of June, more than 550 deaths, around two million casualties and the destruction of critical infrastructure have been recorded in Mali, Nigeria, Chad and Niger. The rains, unusual in one of the driest regions on the planet, could continue in the coming weeks, according to the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts.
