The Moroccan government finds itself immersed in a comprehensive review of numerous proposals aimed at the rehabilitation of earthquake stricken territories, sources told MoroccoLatestNews.
The seismic event, which left devastation in its wake, has disrupted the lives of countless residents, prompting a multifaceted response that not only encompasses humanitarian relief but also an earnest commitment to safeguarding the rich human heritage embedded in these afflicted areas.
The earthquake has so far affected about 50,000 homes, and the King of Morocco has ordered relief to be given to every household in the afflicted area. He has also ordered rehabilitation aid of 14,000 dollars for completely collapsed buildings and 8000 dollars for partially damaged homes.
The earthquake also caused various degrees of damage to about 530 educational facilities, particularly in the provinces of Al Haouz, Chichaoua, and Taroudant.
The operation to register the occupants of structures destroyed after the earthquake began on Monday in the many affected communes and localities in the province of Al Haouz.
The operation, which will take 12 days, attempts to locate properties that have been partially or completely damaged.
Morocco has promised to rehabilitate and reconstruct the infrastructure and human facilities that were damaged by the earthquake.
This would entail rebuilding the infrastructure of the region, including repairing roads, hospitals and schools in Al Haouz.
Model villages
The concept of model villages emerged among the potential solutions for the rehabilitation of the Al Haouz afflicted areas.
Model villages would be constructed to replace the damaged homes. Local and elected leaders have begun to gauge public opinion on various settlement proposals, although specifics are still unclear.
It’s still too early to say if these “model villages” would be constructed in the same places or moved somewhere else. Years of conception and organization would be needed to plan and carry out such an operation.
Except that the locals don’t particularly like the concept of relocating their homes. According to Mohammed Ait Bouderdi from Tlat N’Yaaqoub, who stated to MoroccoLatestNews that the locals prefer to remain on their current properties rather than move. “The locals in this area have strong attachments to their possessions, notably land.”
“Residents are familiar with the location’s characteristics and have a strong emotional attachment to it. The plans for rehabilitation should take this dynamic into account and preserve the population’ historical and cultural identities,” said architect and urbanism expert Jamal Chichaoui to MoroccoLatestNews.
House rebuilding will start following the restoration of all roads damaged by the earthquake. The first iteration of the rehousing program covers over 50,000 completely or partially destroyed homes in the five impacted provinces.
“These high-mountain regions have unique socioeconomic traits and peculiarities. Reconstruction of the most earthquake-affected communities has to meet residents’ needs whilst protecting the cultural value of human heritage,” said Chichaoui.
Chichaoui underlined the need for stakeholders from all sectors to create strategies and long-term plans for mountainous regions.
“The vision for rebuilding needs to involve a group of stakeholders and specialists to provide spatial and urban integrity while maintaining the site’s properties during the rebuilding and integration process,” said the urbanism expert.