King Mohammed VI chairs a working meeting devoted to the rehousing of disaster victims
His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God help him, chaired today September 14, 2023 at the Royal Palace in Rabat, a working meeting devoted to the activation of the emergency program for the rehousing of disaster victims and the recovery in charge of the categories most affected by the Al Haouz earthquake, which was the subject of Royal Instructions during the work session chaired by the Sovereign on September 9, 2023.
This meeting comes as an extension of the succession of measures ordered by the Sovereign, aimed at mobilizing all means, with the necessary speed and efficiency, to come to the aid of affected families and citizens and in particular to deploy as quickly as possible rehabilitation and reconstruction measures, in localities affected by this natural disaster of unprecedented scale.
This first version of the rehousing program thus presented before the Sovereign, and which was prepared by the interministerial commission set up on High Royal Instructions, concerns approximately 50,000 totally or partially collapsed housing units, in the five affected provinces.
It consists, on the one hand, of emergency temporary rehousing actions, in particular through adapted on-site accommodation options and in structures designed to withstand the cold and bad weather; or in reception sites equipped with all the necessary amenities. On the other hand, the State will grant emergency aid of 30,000 dirhams to affected households.
In this regard, the Sovereign drew the attention of the competent authorities to the extremely priority nature of the rehousing operation, which must be carried out under the necessary conditions of fairness and permanent listening to the needs of the populations concerned.
The program consists, on the other hand, of immediate reconstruction actions, to be deployed after the preliminary expertise operations and the land preparation and stabilization work. For this purpose, direct financial aid of 140,000 dirhams is planned for completely collapsed homes and 80,000 dirhams to cover the rehabilitation work on partially collapsed homes.
Also, His Majesty the King insisted on the need for the reconstruction operation to be carried out on the basis of specifications and under technical and architectural supervision in harmony with the heritage of the region and which respects its unique architectural characteristics. .
Furthermore and during this same working session, His Majesty the King reiterated his High Instructions so that the response is strong, rapid and proactive while respecting the dignity of the populations, their habits and customs and their heritage. The measures should not only work to repair the damage from the earthquake, but also to launch a thoughtful, integrated and ambitious program for the reconstruction and general upgrading of the affected regions, both in terms of strengthening infrastructure and raising the quality of the land. quality of public services.
This multi-dimensional program will mainly mobilize the own financial resources of the State and public organizations, and will also be open to contributions from private and associative actors, as well as from brother and friendly countries which so wish and to which His Majesty the King renews , on this occasion, the most sincere thanks of the Kingdom of Morocco.
During this meeting, His Majesty the King, may God help him, also raised an equally priority and crucial subject which is the immediate care of orphaned children who today find themselves without family or resources. The Sovereign asked that these children be listed and granted the status of wards of the nation.
Also, in order to get them out of this situation of distress and protect them from all risks and all forms of fragility to which they may unfortunately be exposed after a natural disaster, His Majesty the King, may God help him, ordered it is up to the government to put into the adoption circuit, and as quickly as possible, the bill necessary for this purpose.
Through the vision and action of its Sovereign, Morocco demonstrates, once again, the capacity for resilience which characterizes it and which allows it to face trials and challenges with strength, wisdom and determination and this thanks to the strength of its institutions and the solidarity and generosity of its people.
Taking part in this working meeting were the Head of Government, Mr. Aziz Akhannouch, the Advisor to HM the King, Mr. Fouad Ali El Himma, the Minister of the Interior, Mr. Abdelouafi Laftit, the Minister of Habous and of Islamic Affairs, Mr. Ahmed Toufiq, the Minister of Economy and Finance, Ms. Nadia Fettah, the Minister of National Territorial Planning, Urban Planning, Housing and Urban Policy, Ms. Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri, the Minister Delegate to the Minister of Economy and Finance, in charge of the Budget, Mr. Faouzi Lekjaa, as well as the Lieutenant General, Mohammed Berrid, Inspector General of the FAR and Commander of the South zone.
Source: Burkina Information Agency