He filled the paper cup with black coffee from the coffee maker installed behind an old, dilapidated car, and held it to us with his right hand, while his left held a cheap cigarette that looked almost broken when he took it out of his pocket.
Mr. Hassan came towards us with a cup of coffee, and sat smoking his cigarette while pointing to us with his eyes to a place up there in the mountains, and telling us that he had left his family there in the village of Ighil and had gone down to the town of Talat Nyakoub in search of a lost livelihood in these places that are at least close to the narrow road that cuts through this sad town that was destroyed by the earthquake a year ago.
Hassan looked short, and his face was covered with a dark complexion that seemed like a special kiss that the scorching sun of these mountains was keen to imprint on the faces of the residents, especially the young people who hardly stopped working and moving through the harsh terrain.
Hassan began to tell us about Ighil and the suffering she had endured for a year, and he began to narrate a tragedy that the residents of about 70 houses – the entire population of the village – had endured just two days ago.
“A severe thunderstorm hit the place, and the rain fell heavily and violently, forcing everyone to flee from their tents to save their lives, as the tragedy of the earthquake of the century unfolded before their eyes,” says Hassan.
“Stupid question”
“Hey, did you talk about tents? Haven’t the houses built to replace those destroyed by the earthquake been completed?” Hassan and his friend Ibrahim looked at us in surprise at a question that seemed dull and disconnected from reality.
“Almost everyone is still living in tents,” Hassan replied. “The construction problem is a real problem that has not been solved as quickly as we had hoped.”
Indeed, at the Azrou roundabout, near Tahnaout (about 34 kilometers south of Marrakech), we were surprised to find that the villagers were living in tents in an area a little far from their destroyed roundabout in the belly of the mountain, as the authorities had prevented them from returning to live in that dangerous place. A simple merchant on the spot confirmed to us that the decision was decisive to keep the residents away from the dangerous places where they had lived safely before the earthquake of the century.
Passing through the town of Asni, the squares that were filled with tents a year ago seemed empty, and when we reached Ouirgane (about 65 kilometers south of Marrakech) we discovered that there were construction operations on houses of a reasonable size that fit the size of the roundabout.
In addition to tents, semi-prefabricated houses, consisting of frames manufactured in the factory according to demand, have spread in some areas of Al-Hoz.
But here in Wergan the narrow paved road ends, and the narrow, hard, stone mountain road begins, and with its beginning the signs of slow construction movement end, and we are back where the clock hands stopped last year, at least that is how it seemed to us.
“The drum”
Ibrahim, from the destroyed town of Talat Nyaqoub, tells us that the support that was decided to be provided to the residents for the purpose of building a house was marred by many challenges during implementation, and he expressed his hope that the authorities would intensify their efforts to quickly find solutions.
Challenges explained to us by the merchant near Azrou roundabout, who told us that most of the residents there only benefited from the first installment of support, amounting to 20 thousand dirhams (about two thousand dollars), to build the foundation of the house, or what is known locally as the “table” (table), and that the government would provide them with the second installment of support to complete the construction once the “table” was finished.
“But many have finished the drum and have not yet received the second payment, and they do not have any source to finish building their house, waiting for the promised money to arrive,” our interlocutor from Talat Nyaqoub explains to us.
A resident of Douar Amzouzit, who preferred to remain anonymous, explained to us that the problems of receiving payments are a real dilemma for people who have no income since the earthquake, and most of them depend entirely on the support provided by the government every month, equivalent to 2,500 dirhams (about 250 dollars), which is supposed to end this month, which will double the tragedy.
Support story
He added that the plan stipulated from the beginning that those whose simple homes were partially destroyed would be compensated with 80,000 dirhams ($8,000), while those whose homes were completely destroyed would be compensated with 140,000 dirhams ($14,000).
“Here lies the problem,” our interlocutor from Amzouzit explains, continuing, “There are many villages and hamlets whose residents were compensated with partial compensation, even though their homes had completely collapsed and they were entitled to 140,000 dirhams.”
This is the information that was confirmed to us by more than one local person whom we met in the various districts of the Al Haouz region.
When you ask them for any evidence to support what they say, they tell you that the only evidence was the completely demolished houses, but now they are just a trace after an eye, as the competent authorities worked to remove the rubble completely, in the context of preparing the way for choosing new construction sites.
According to official figures, the rubble of 23,360 destroyed homes in Al-Haouz has been removed, equivalent to 99% of the 23,500 damaged homes that need to be rebuilt.
The official story
The authorities and concerned bodies, for their part, deny these accusations and confirm that the support process is continuing as planned, acknowledging the existence of challenges and errors that the concerned bodies are working to monitor and follow up on their solution with the affected parties and the competent bodies in accordance with what is stipulated in the guiding law.
Noting that all engineering and licensing services are provided free of charge to all those affected. Anas Al-Basrawi, a member of the steering committee of the reconstruction cell and head of the equipment department at the Al-Haouz province, told the official Moroccan radio and television website that 11,000 licenses for digging house foundations (drums) were issued out of 23,500 houses, representing 47%.
According to his account, the number of houses that have been completed has reached approximately 1,000 buildings, or 4.5%. He said that residents will live in their new homes in no more than 18 months, stressing that the period may seem long to some, but everyone should know the extent of the difficulties and challenges facing projects of this type amidst difficult terrain that complicates the construction process.
While civil society associations acknowledge the efforts made to deal with a crisis of this unprecedented magnitude that has included regions including Al Haouz, Taroudant, Chichaoua, Ouarzazate and other areas, they agree that there has been a severe slowness in finding a solution that satisfies everyone.
“A home that brings us together”
As for Hassan, Ibrahim and those we met in the villages of Al-Haouz spread across the mountains, they do not care much about the details included in the statements of this or that official, nor do they care about the dialogues of experts and analysts that have filled the screens of official channels and websites these days, coinciding with the first anniversary of the earthquake of the century.
What matters to them is to enter a properly built concrete house in a safe area, that protects them from the rain and the ravages of time, and an infrastructure that helps them build a new professional life.
When you ask them, “What is the message you want to convey to the officials?” they answer you unanimously, despite the difference in place and time, “We want a home that will gather our scattered people and restore to us the warmth we have lost since September 8, 2023, when the earthquake of the century took our smile.”
