Hiba Press / Rabat
The regional authorities in Chichaoua engaged early on in a race against time to rehabilitate the roads damaged by the earthquake of September 8, 2023, while at the same time working to strengthen the road network in the various communities, especially the mountainous ones.
The aim of this operation is to facilitate citizens’ access to their villages, and thus the arrival of food and building materials needed to complete the reconstruction process in the affected areas.
In line with the high royal directives, the mobilization of regional authorities, through effective interaction with the private sector and civil society, has made it possible to improve traffic and transportation conditions, strengthen road infrastructure linking the communities and douars of the region, and meet the needs of the population who have resumed their activities, particularly focused on agriculture.
To this end, a significant financial envelope has been allocated for the rehabilitation and isolation of several villages belonging to the Imindounit commune, located in the High Atlas at an altitude of approximately 1,400 metres.
In this regard, Ourais Al-Hashemi, Head of the Equipment Department at the Chichaoua Province, said in a statement to the Maghreb Arab Press Agency, that “like neighboring provinces, the road network in the Chichaoua Province was damaged by the Al-Haouz earthquake, and in particular the roads of 32 communities, including 7 mountainous ones.”
Mr. Al-Hashemi stressed that in implementation of the program established by the regional authorities in coordination with the various parties concerned, urgent measures were taken to accelerate the pace of rehabilitation of damaged roads and the construction of new roads, given the significant impact of the road network on the daily lives of the local population.
He pointed out that even before the earthquake, investments of more than 100 million dirhams had been allocated to the road infrastructure programme in the Imindounit commune to break the isolation, recalling that after the September 2023 earthquake, the pace of work accelerated significantly.
Mr. El Hachemi stressed that “the first demand of the local population, before and after the earthquake, remains the strengthening of road infrastructure in order to be able to carry out their activities and practice their daily lives,” highlighting that all parties concerned are mobilized to respond to these expectations within the specified deadlines.
These initiatives were welcomed by road users and residents of the community, who expressed their gratitude to His Majesty King Mohammed VI for the great care that His Majesty continues to give to the population affected by the earthquake.
Abdelali Oumbarek, one of the young men of Douar Tiksiit, said, “The road construction work in the Imindounit commune is proceeding satisfactorily and all parties involved in this process are fully mobilized to meet this challenge.”
He stressed that “this road network, which is under construction, will facilitate the daily tasks of the residents of the villages, who benefit from all the rehabilitation and reconstruction programmes that were put in place before and after the earthquake.”
For his part, Mohamed Ait El Kadi, a resident of Douar Tamkounsi, said: “We are very happy with the progress made in completing the road network in the Imindounit community, which will allow us to develop our daily activities and move around safely.”
