Census, relocation process in earthquake affected areas continues

The process of counting and identifying quake-damaged buildings continues for the third day in a row in the various district districts of the Chichaoua region.

In application of royal instructions to activate the emergency program for the rehousing of disaster victims and care for the categories most affected by the Al Haouz earthquake, the operation to identify homes totally or partially collapsed by the September 8 earthquake has been launched in various provinces, including Taroudannt, Al Haouz and Chichaoua.

In Taroudant, a source from the province’s Communal Council in charge of Housing confirmed that six commissions had been dispatched, in coordination with the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Housing and the Taroudannt Urban Agency, to survey damaged buildings, record damage and assess needs in the communes and localities that suffered the most earthquake damage, namely: Tizi N’Test, Tafingoult, Tigouga, Talkounjt, Ounayen and Sidi Ouaziz.

These commissions have submitted their reports on the ruinous dwellings that pose a danger to the people living in them. In this respect, the Taroudannt Communal Council has warned the citizens concerned of almost 85 decisions to demolish buildings threatening ruin up to this date. In addition, other joint commissions will be mobilized to cover the rest of the province’s communes, whose damage toll includes 35 affected communes, 522 douars and 5497 families with over 24805 people affected.

It should be noted that the first version of the rehousing program presented to the Sovereign, and which was prepared by the interministerial commission set up on Royal High Instructions, covers some 50,000 totally or partially collapsed homes in the five provinces affected.

Direct financial assistance of 140,000 dirhams has been earmarked for totally collapsed homes, and 80,000 dirhams to cover rehabilitation work on partially collapsed dwellings.

Al Haouz

In the same context, the communes and localities of the Al Haouz province are currently taking stock of and assessing the damage caused by the earthquake that struck the region, as part of the activation of the emergency program to rehouse disaster victims and care for the categories most affected by this terrible tragedy.

These operations are being led by household census committees made up of representatives of local authorities, the Marrakech urban agency, the public testing and research laboratory, civil protection, the Royal Gendarmerie and civil society.

Spread over 12 days, according to sources close to the matter, these operations aim to take stock of partially or totally damaged buildings in this province, which, according to initial statistics, has more than 11,000 people affected.

The main tasks of these committees are to :

– Taking a census of the inhabitants of buildings affected by the earthquake (completely or partially destroyed),

– Diagnosis of damaged buildings and assessment of losses,

– Drawing up reports for each dwelling and communicating with those concerned.

In addition, the very first measure that needs to be taken is the provisional rehousing of those affected, and their sheltering, especially as the winter season approaches, which is proving to be very difficult in these regions.

Experts also believe that the damage in this area is enormous, and has been caused mainly by landslides and rockfalls. On the other hand, they point out that Morocco has an expert workforce with a wealth of construction know-how, including technicians, architects, design offices and Maalmiyen specializing in traditional construction.

These resources will all be mobilized to respond to this urgent call to action, and are betting on sustainable, ecological and safe reconstruction, in application of the High Royal Instructions. A reconstruction in total adequacy with the cultural, historical and traditional specificities, while respecting the parasismic regulations in force.

Chichaoua

In Chichaoua, the operation to identify the inhabitants of buildings damaged by the earthquake began on Monday, as part of the activation of the emergency rehousing program for victims whose homes were completely or partially destroyed.
The operation, which will last several days, involves the deployment of ad hoc committees in all affected areas, to carry out the necessary assessments and ensure that aid reaches eligible populations as quickly as possible.

Teams made up of representatives of local authorities, the Ministry of Regional Planning, Urban Development, Housing and Urban Policy, the Essaouira Urban Agency, the Public Testing and Research Laboratory and representatives of the Royal Gendarmerie began scouring the affected areas on Monday, covering 754 douars and more than 9,000 homes housing around 50,000 families.

The Head of the Legal Affairs Department of the Essaouira Urban Agency commented that “the committee has drawn up highly documented technical files on the dwellings observed and inventoried, and these documents will be transferred to the relevant departments for the rehousing of the victims in accordance with their regional specificities”.

Saïd Oubihi, one of the beneficiaries of this operation, expressed his gratitude to King Mohammed VI for the kindness shown to the inhabitants of the damaged areas, and his faith in a better tomorrow.

The worst-affected provinces are Al Haouz, where the epicenter is located, and Chichaoua, as well as Taroudannt and Ouarzazate.

During these census operations, data, consolidated by photos and videos of the structures and douars inspected, are collected on the dwellings, their locations and occupants, as well as the owners’ preferences, such as the construction of a new dwelling or rehabilitation.