Rabat – Morocco’s Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs Ahmed Toufiq declared in the House of Representatives on Monday that cemeteries in Morocco require an area of 100 hectares annually to carry out the burial process.
The minister added that Casablanca alone requires about seven hectares every year, stressing that there is a lack of land for this process.
Additionally, Toufiq emphasized that the Ministry is not responsible for providing the required land.
The statement came in response to the request of Deputy Mayor of Casablanca Ahmed Brija to the Ministry to establish cemeteries to bury the deceased, pointing out the dire circumstances of Al-Ghofrane Cemetery in Casablanca.
Brija explained during the session that the Casablanca City Council has limited capabilities and cannot acquire or fill a real estate balance.
He also noted that the city records roughly 70 deaths every day, with funerals held in the Al-Ghofrane Cemetery and the Arrahma Cemetery.
Toufiq highlighted that the Ministry is in charge of the cemeteries only if the burial there has been definitively completed.
“These cemeteries are not under the Ministry’s control since they are still open. However, we have exceptionally contributed 400 hectares to the cemeteries over the past years.”
On the other hand, other representatives discussed the declining condition of several cemeteries in various Moroccan cities.
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