Rabat – The National Agency for Water and Forestry (ANEF) has announced that 182 wildfires have been reported so far in 2023, totaling over 1,200 hectares of woods.
With 68 outbreaks and a burned area of 881 hectares, which accounts for 70% of the country’s total, the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region specifically suffered the most from the fires.
The Souss Massa region came in second, accounting for 190 hectares or 15% of the total burned area.
With the coming days and weeks posing a significant risk for the development of wildfires, ANEF emphasized that the summer surveillance and intervention systems should continue to be fully mobilized.
In order to do this, the agency is urging all forest users, including campers, beekeepers, and other animal breeders, to take caution and strictly limit the use of fire during the summer. They are also encouraged to alert the authorities to any observations of wildfires or any strange activity in forest regions.
Morocco’s Royal Armed Forces (FAR) announced on May 11 that the arrival of a new Canadair CL-415 aircraft will enable them to improve their firefighting capabilities.
This new addition, which is regarded as one of the priciest aerial firefighting aircraft currently on the market, will add to the FAR’s current fleet of five Canadairs.
At a time when the country is preparing for another record-breaking summer, this addition to FAR’s fleet is crucial.
The firefighting plane, also referred to as “the Bombardier 415 Superscooper,” is the replacement for the Canadair CL-215. It is utilized for transportation purposes in the military, disaster aid, and combating fires.
Equipped with a variety of features and technology, such as sophisticated water bombing capabilities, the aircraft has a maximum speed of 376 kilometers per hour and is capable of scooping more than 5,000 liters of water in just 12 seconds.
Read also: Wildfire: Morocco Allocates $22 Million for Prevention, Control Measures
