Morocco Earthquake: First Instalment of Financial Aid to Affected Families to Be Paid on October 6-16

02 October 2023 Printable Version

Rabat - Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch chaired, here Monday, the 5th meeting of the Interministerial Commission in charge of deploying an emergency program to rehabilitate and help rebuild homes destroyed in the Al Haouz earthquake.

In application of the High Royal Instructions, it was decided to start the payment of the emergency aid (2,500 Dirhams monthly for one year) to the families whose homes were partially or completely collapsed on October 6-16, the Department of the Head of Government said in a press release.

The quake-affected families, who would not have received financial aid during the aforementioned period, can present their grievances to the relevant provincial commissions in order to examine and rule on them, the same source pointed out.

The commission also decided to launch the road upgrading and widening operation, which will focus in a first phase on the opening and widening of the road between Ouirgane and Tlat N'Yacoub and the road linking Tizi N'tasset and Tafoughalet, and to begin the payment of aids to farmers for the reconstitution of the national herd, as well as the subsidy of barley and compound feed in the disaster areas, it noted.

It was also decided to immediately and convergently implement urgent reconstruction projects through the launch of architectural and technical studies which relate in particular to the reconstruction and upgrading of more than 1,000 schools, the upgrading of 42 local health centers, as well as the actions aimed at shoring historic sites and reinforcing and restorate mosques, Zaouias and mausoleums.

In order to ensure the monitoring and financing of these projects which concern the sectors of education, health, equipment, housing, culture, tourism, agriculture and endowments, it was decided to allocate 2.5 billion dirhams through the Special Fund dedicated to managing the impacts of the earthquake (126), in order to ensure its immediate implementation, the same added.

During this meeting, the members of the commission stressed that the government, in accordance with the High Royal Instructions, endeavors to implement the program of reconstruction and general upgrading of the quake-affected regions, adding that the government has indeed started the implementation of urgent projects.

The Head of Government called on the various departments concerned to continue their strong mobilization for rapid and optimal implementation of the various aspects of the integrated program, which will allow, beyond the treatment of the earthquake impact and reconstruction, to promote the economic, social and cultural development of the populations in the affected regions, the press release concluded.