The collapse of the roof of a traditional communal oven in the old medina building in Casablanca has killed one person and injured four others on the evening of January 7.
According to Moroccan state media, local authorities of the Casablanca-Anfa district report that the collapse is due to heavy rainstorms.
The local police and civil protection services had intervened to secure the neighboring buildings and to pursue rescue operations. The injured were transferred to the Ibn Rochd University Hospital to receive the necessary medical care. One of the injured passed away on the way to the hospital.
Casablanca has been experiencing severe floods for the past week due to heavy rainfall. Several posts on social networks have documented the gravity of the floods, with the waters submerging cars, homes, and schools. The floods have caused significant damage to roads, tunnels, and tramway vehicles as well as the railway network.
The critical situation raises citizens’ concerns about the vulnerable infrastructure of Morocco’s economic capital in the face of ever more devastating effects of climate change. Many have called on Casablanca’s local authorities and the company managing sanitation, Lydec, to take responsibility for the mismanagement of the situation.
Lydec has released a statement on Thursday, blaming the catastrophe of the building collapse on heavy rains. The company said that rainfall averaged 33.7 millimeters from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. and reached up to 53 millimeters in some Casablanca neighborhoods.
The company announced it has mobilized 358 staff members and 233 vehicles to assist the most affected neighborhoods and help unblock drainage systems.
While Casablanca’s local authorities have yet to make an official statement, it is unclear who will take responsibility for the material losses suffered by citizens. While Morocco has made significant efforts to produce cleaner energy, much remains unclear about efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change
