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Noureddine Boutayeb, Morocco’s Deputy Minister of the Interior, underlined on Tuesday the Moroccan government’s efforts under its National Plan to cope with the cold wave for the 2020-2021 winter season.
The annual national campaign against cold, which was launched in 2007 and started November 2020 for this season, seeks to assist populations affected by cold waves in remote villages in the Atlas and Rif mountains.
Boutayeb told MPs in Rabat that this winter season, the national plan targets 1,776 douars in 235 local authorities in 27 provinces. The target population includes 147,000 families (755,000 people), he added.
The 1,776 douars, which make up 6% of all douars in Morocco, represent 2% of the Moroccan population and 6% of the world’s rural population.
Within the national plan against cold waves, 6,237 pregnant women have been identified since October, while 1,397 women in an advanced stage of pregnancy were cared for in maternity hospitals and health centers.
Boutayeb declared that 4,109 homeless people received assistance and 18,352 meals were distributed in remote areas.
The national campaign provided 6,797 blankets and medical services to 3,330 people with the help of 1,119 mobile health units and 151 medical caravans.
The plan included the opening of 415 road sections, including 77 national roads, 94 regional ones, 180 provincial, and 64 other unclassified roads.
Meanwhile, a number of douars previously blocked by ice have been opened up by the support of the helicopter response team and the installation of snow barriers.
In addition, local authorities classes in 3,050 schools as part of the preventive measures.
Read Also: Morocco Prepares for National Campaign Against Cold Waves
The measures included the revitalization of the piloting center and the mobilization of more than 800 machine drivers, made available to the external services of the Ministry of Equipment and Transport.
In addition to preparing for emergency missions, women’s pregnancy, and the opening of the blocked douars, the plan also includes supplying concerned villages with commodities, heating, and livestock feed. Another goal is to link the remote areas to telecommunication systems.
In 2019, the campaign benefited more than 736,000 Moroccans living in 1,753 remote villages spread across 27 different provinces.
