The Regional Director of Waters and Forests of the Rif, Said Benjira, said that the fire which broke out in the “Bni Ysef Al-Srif” forest, under the province of Larache, has been completely circumscribed.
“Thanks to the efforts of all stakeholders, in direct coordination with the authorities of the wilaya of the region and the provincial authorities, this fire has been completely contained,” he told the press, stressing the need to do vigilance, due to unfavorable weather conditions, which could fan the flames in some homes.
The official also indicated that “the temperature is expected to increase and the winds will intensify in the coming days, which requires all responders to be vigilant”, noting that monitoring teams are always mobilized near the affected areas to put out any flames, until the fire is finally extinguished.
The fire, declared in a locality under the territorial jurisdiction of the municipalities of Souk El Qola and Boujediane (province of Larache), destroyed about 7,800 hectares, he said, recalling the upcoming launch of a rehabilitation program damaged forests.
He added that several forest fires have been declared over the past few days in the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, particularly in the forests of Beni Ider (province of Tetouan), Achacha-Tassift (province of Chefchaouen), Jbel Amziz in the communes of Zoumi and Mokrisset (province of Ouezzane), and Sahel El Menzla (province of Larache).
To deal with these fires, which broke out in the midst of an exceptional drought and the heat wave that the Kingdom is experiencing, around 2,000 elements from Waters and Forests, Civil Protection, the Royal Armed Forces, the Royal Gendarmerie , Auxiliary Forces, local authorities and National Promotion, equipped with tank trucks, first intervention trucks, were mobilized.
Five “Canadair” aircraft and eight “Turbo Trush” type aircraft of the Royal Gendarmerie were also used during these operations. These forest fires destroyed about 9,200 hectares of forest cover in the provinces of Larache, Ouezzane, Tetouan and Chefchaouen, including 7,800 ha in the Souk L’qolla commune, according to a provisional report announced by the Ministry of Agriculture. , maritime fishing, rural development and water and forests.
They also hit areas of fruit trees and destroyed many traditional and modern beehives that are in the burned forests.
To mitigate the impact of the fire on agricultural activity and come to the aid of the populations concerned, the Ministry of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development and Waters and Forests has set up a unit at central and cells at local level, in coordination with local, provincial and regional authorities, to monitor the situation and assess the impact of this fire.
The objective is to identify the urgent measures to be taken in favor of the population and to carry out development and rehabilitation projects for the affected ecosystems, within the framework of an overall government program.
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