National Council for Human Rights said Morocco’s handling of recent floods in the country’s four hardest-hit provinces showed “clear and tangible progress” in applying international standards and a human rights, based approach to disaster response, while urging authorities to address vulnerable cases outside officially declared disaster zones.
In a document titled Managing the Flood Disaster in Light of International Standards: Preliminary Conclusions, the council said public authorities improved coordination, preparedness and intervention during the floods that struck parts of Morocco, particularly in the Gharb and Loukkos regions.
The council said evacuation measures helped protect the right to life, noting that only isolated fatalities were recorded, largely due to individuals underestimating risks.
According to the report, local authorities acted swiftly to anticipate flood dangers by mobilizing rescue equipment and deploying emergency services. The response involved the armed forces, gendarmerie, police, civil protection units, auxiliary forces and territorial authorities, particularly during early February in Ksar El Kebir.
The council said more than 180,000 people were evacuated across several provinces, with free transportation provided and temporary shelters and health centers established. These measures, it said, contributed significantly to safeguarding residents’ physical safety.
However, it also flagged limited cases where emergency housing did not fully meet standards for adequate shelter, citing shortcomings related to privacy, water access, sanitation and protection from hazards.
The report highlighted steps taken to protect the right to education, including suspending classes in areas covered by weather alerts and introducing temporary remote-learning solutions. It also noted health measures, such as evacuating and monitoring pregnant women, providing special care for elderly people and persons with disabilities, and ensuring continued treatment for patients with chronic illnesses.
The council welcomed royal instructions to the government that led to the declaration of Larache, Kenitra, Sidi Kacemand Sidi Slimane as disaster zones, along with the approval of a large-scale assistance and compensation program.
It said post-disaster measures included rehousing displaced families, compensating income losses, rehabilitating damaged homes and small businesses, rebuilding collapsed houses, providing in-kind aid, and supporting farmers and livestock breeders. Authorities also allocated funds to restore roads, water management infrastructure, dams, drainage networks and essential public services.
While praising the response as a model of good practice in disaster management, the council urged authorities to consider severe cases in municipalities and rural areas that fall outside the officially designated disaster zones, particularly households whose homes collapsed but remain ineligible for formal assistance.
The council said the disaster-zone designation provides an essential legal framework aligned with a human rights approach, stressing that affected people should be treated as rights holders rather than mere aid recipients.
It called for comprehensive regional and local flood-risk management plans incorporating human rights principles and clearly defining institutional responsibilities. The council also urged the government to reassess its climate strategy, warning that climate change in Morocco is not limited to drought but also includes extreme rainfall, flooding and potential tsunami risks along the country’s Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts.
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