Moroccan Residents Return Home as Flood Waters Recede in Northwest

Authorities in Morocco have begun facilitating the gradual return of residents to the city of Ksar El Kebir and other floodaffected areas in the country’s northwest as weather conditions improve, according to state media reports on Monday.

Since early February, the army and emergency services assisted in evacuating about 188,000 people from areas at risk of overflowing rivers, which swept across approximately 110,000 hectares of land. Most residents of Ksar El Kebir, located 213 km north of Rabat, are now permitted to return home, though some neighbourhoods remain restricted due to persistent water damage, the Interior Ministry said.

To ease the return, authorities provided free train and bus rides for residents who had taken shelter with relatives in other cities or in temporary relief centres set up by the government.

The Moroccan government has announced a 3 billion dirhams ($330 million) investment plan to upgrade infrastructure and provide support for flood-affected residents, farmers, and shop-owners in the hardest-hit municipalities, which have officially been declared disaster areas by the Prime Minister’s office.

The flooding was exacerbated by the Oued Makhazine dam, which had reached 160% of capacity due to exceptional inflows. Water had to be gradually released downstream, raising levels in the Loukous River and inundating Ksar El Kebir and surrounding plains.

Official data indicate that rainfall this winter was 35% above the long-term average since the 1990s and three times higher than the previous year. Morocco’s national dam-filling rate also surged to nearly 70% from 27% a year earlier, prompting authorities to partially empty several large dams to manage new inflows.

The heavy precipitation effectively ended a seven-year drought, during which the country had increased investments in desalination projects to address water scarcity. Authorities are now focused on rehabilitating flood-damaged infrastructure, restoring services, and ensuring that displaced residents can safely return to their homes.

The coordinated response, combining army support, public transport, and substantial government funding, underscores Morocco’s commitment to protecting citizens and rebuilding affected communities in the aftermath of one of the region’s most severe flood events in recent years.