Civil society groups in southeastern Morocco are renewing calls for the government to reinforce road infrastructure and implement proactive flood-response plans, as seasonal rains continue to isolate remote communities across the region.
Heavy rainfall since Saturday night has triggered flash floods and road closures in areas of the Drâa-Tafilalet region, Tata Province, and the city of Marrakech. Authorities reported blocked routes in several localities, including the Igoul N’Oumgoun commune in Tinghir Province, where multiple roads and pathways became impassable before being reopened by emergency services.
In Midelt Province, social media users shared footage of a village cut off by flooding around the “Titoumas” bridge, which was submerged by rising waters.
Mohamed Diche, national coordinator of the Civil Coalition for the Mountains, criticized what he described as a lack of preventive public policy in flood-prone areas. “Each time it rains in the southeast, the same questions resurface about the absence of forward-looking government planning,” he said.
“Natural disasters should serve as a starting point for real proactive policies to protect local populations,” Diche added, urging the government to adopt regional strategies tailored to flood prevention. He advocated for the construction of small hillside dams to both preserve rainwater and bolster infrastructure in vulnerable areas.
“Large dams and other redirection efforts are no longer sufficient,” he said. “Hillside dams offer a practical and efficient solution.”
He also stressed the importance of learning from past disasters, such as the Al Haouz earthquake and previous floods in the region, to revise Morocco’s approach toward remote and mountainous areas.
In Tata Province, civil activist Hassan Messaaf, a member of the local agricultural association, called for accelerated implementation of flood-protection projects in Foum Zguid and other parts of southeastern Morocco.
Messaaf reported two road closures in Foum Zguid due to recent storms, cutting off residents from reaching the nearby city of Zagora. “Local people are once again dealing with rainwater flooding their homes,” he said.
He echoed calls for hillside dams, pointing out the paradox of water scarcity and lost rainfall in a region already struggling with limited precipitation.
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