After the temperatures this week reached record highs, as they exceeded 47 degrees Celsius in some regions of the Kingdom, the fear of citizens residing in villages located in sensitive areas at risk of forest fires has doubled once again. Before the occurrence of natural disasters that cause severe human and material losses.
Warning National Agency for Waters and Forests
For its part, the National Agency for Water and Forests warned of risks it described as medium to severe for forest fires that may be witnessed in several regions of the Kingdom, due to the dramatic rise in temperatures.
In the same context, the National Agency for Water and Forests called on all residents of areas close to forests, all vacationers and visitors, as well as people working in forest circles, to exercise caution and take all necessary precautions to avoid the outbreak of forest fires.
Morocco’s Measures to Reduce Fires
Commenting on the resurgence of this environmental phenomenon, Mustafa Ben Ramel, President of the Ecological Lighthouses Association, said, “Every year, during the summer, with high temperatures, several forest fires break out in several countries, especially the Mediterranean, including Morocco, which opens the discussion again about a group of of the problems”.
Ben Ramel said, in a statement exclusively to Weafrica24, that “Morocco has taken several proactive measures in this regard, by acquiring Canadir aircraft and carrying out several reinforcements at the level of regions whose forests have witnessed serious fires in recent years”.
The Role of Civil Society and Local Associations
Ben Ramel added, “These matters are not sufficient to reduce these fires, in the absence of awareness campaigns at the national level by the National Agency for Water and Forests and various media outlets to urge citizens to take basic measures, to reduce the causes of the outbreak of these fires”.
He continued, explaining that today there must be a sensitization plan carried out by the concerned departments, that is, the National Agency for Water and Forests, with the participation of civil society, and there must be full involvement of the soil groups that have important vegetation cover, as we find that this group is absent in the preparations and is present.