Heavy rains leave mountain roads damaged, disrupt school access in northern Morocco

Weeks after heavy rainfall battered northern Morocco, residents in mountainous areas are still grappling with damaged roads and rural tracks that have complicated daily life, particularly for students trying to reach school.

In Chefchaouen Province, one of the hardest-hit areas, landslides and soil erosion have severely damaged road networks in several rural communes, including Ketama. Collapsed and partially blocked roads have cut off multiple hamlets, preventing many middle and high school students from safely accessing schools located in the commune’s center.

Local sources said students face “serious difficulties and risks” commuting to school because of extensive damage to connecting roads between villages.

Mohamed Al-Atlati, a councilor in Ketama representing the Socialist Union of Popular Forces, said the area is experiencing significant hardship due to deteriorating road conditions following heavy rains and rockfalls.

“Several roads are no longer safe for daily use,” Al-Atlati said in a phone interview. He noted that falling rocks and ongoing public works in some sections have made certain routes particularly hazardous.

School transport buses continue to use these roads to carry students, which he described as “a real risk to their safety.”

Al-Atlati criticized what he called insufficient intervention by the Ministry of Equipment to fully repair damaged roads and reopen blocked routes. Some hamlets remain isolated, he said, and several students have been unable to attend classes because of road closures.

He added that Ketama’s limited municipal budget does not allow the commune to provide the machinery necessary to repair roads or restore access independently. Instead, it relies largely on support from provincial authorities, which deploy equipment when needed.

Situations linked to natural disasters require direct intervention from the relevant national authorities, he said, noting that while conditions have improved compared with previous days, road infrastructure across Ketama remains in what he described as a “catastrophic” state.

Most students must travel daily from surrounding hamlets to the commune center, where the only middle and high schools are located. Al-Atlati estimated that about 500 students commute each day, with only a small number accommodated in on-campus boarding facilities.