Rebuilding of homes slow in Morocco a year after deadly quake
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RABAT - Reconstruction has been slow in the year since a deadly earthquake struck Morocco’s High Atlas region, with only a fraction of the damaged homes rebuilt, the authorities said.
The 6.8-magnitude Sept 8, 2023, quake
More than 55,000 permits have been issued, but just 1,000 homes have so far been rebuilt, the authorities said this week.
They urged those affected to “speed up their work to be able to benefit” from the financial aid available.
Such grants are conditional, however, on obtaining the necessary permits, technical studies and validation by a project manager of the various phases of construction.
In August, villagers in Talat N’Yaaqoub near the epicentre took to the streets to demand “the speedy unblocking of aid, non-compliant alternatives (to traditional building methods) and medical facilities”, a representative said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“A large number of victims are still living in tents or have been forced to leave their villages and rent elsewhere,” Mr Mohamed Belhassen told AFP in another village, Amizmiz, some 60km from Marrakesh.
He criticised what he called the “dismal failure” of reconstruction efforts.
In the Taroudant region some 60km from Agadir things are little better.
“The situation hasn’t changed much,” said Ms Siham Azeroual, who founded a non-governmental organisation to help villagers in the North African country.
“Reconstruction is proceeding very slowly,” she said. Quake victims “are exhausted, and find themselves caught up in an administrative spiral”.
Nearly 58,000 people affected by the quake have received the first of four instalments of state aid of up to 140,000 dirhams (S$18,800), but just 939 families have received the final payment.
The authorities say monthly grants to more than 63,800 affected families of 2,500 dirhams have also been made.
A US$11 billion (S$14.3 billion) aid programme over five years has also been released for reconstruction and development in the six provinces affected. AFP
