Morocco’s Ministry of Equipment and Water has revealed that a total of 2,930 villages, distributed across 163 suburbs, were affected by the earthquake that struck Morocco on September 8th.
The losses included road damage, but the ministry announced that 100% of the affected roads have been reopened.
The earthquake resulted in the closure of 65 rural roads and paths, spanning a total of 924 kilometers. Among them were three national roads totaling 146 kilometers, three regional roads, 14 provincial roads, and 49 uncategorized roads spanning 465 kilometers.
This information was presented by the ministry during a visit by Nizar Baraka, the Minister of Equipment and Water, to the Al Haouz and Taroudant regions on Saturday.
In Al Haouz, 21 roads spanning 317 kilometers were blocked, in Chichaoua, 14 roads spanning 212 kilometers were affected, in Taroudant, 24 roads spanning 272 kilometers were impacted, and in Ouarzazate, eight roads spanning 51 kilometers were affected.
The ministry stated that necessary resources were mobilized to assess the nature and extent of the damage to the road network, involving 235 vehicles. The damages included landslides, rockfalls, cracks, and fissures along road edges.
Within 48 hours of the tragedy, 90% of classified blocked roads in various affected areas were reopened.
The ministry reported that intervention teams have been working on road expansion, removing rocks and debris from road edges, repairing damages to road shoulders, and marking deteriorated sections to ensure road users’ safety.
Additionally, traffic on hazardous road sections (kilometer point 284 of National Road No. 7 in the Taroudant region) has been halted at night.
Regarding uncategorized roads, the ministry’s interventions reached 92%, repairing 49 roads serving 137 villages.
In the Al Haouz region, 15 roads in 36 villages were included, with a progress rate of 83%. In Taroudant, 17 roads in 50 villages were covered, with a progress rate of 92%. Chichaoua saw interventions on nine roads serving 39 villages, with a 100% progress rate.
Lastly, in the Ouarzazate region, eight roads serving 12 villages were included, with a 100% progress rate.
