The devastating 6.8-magnitude earthquake that shook Morocco’s High Atlas region on September 8, 2023, left a trail of destruction, claiming nearly 3,000 lives and damaging or destroying around 60,000 homes. A year later, reconstruction efforts are moving at a frustratingly slow pace, leaving thousands of earthquake victims in limbo.
While authorities have issued over 55,000 permits for rebuilding, only a mere 1,000 homes have been reconstructed, according to official figures. This stark disparity between permits issued and homes rebuilt has sparked frustration and anger among affected communities. The authorities have urged those affected to “speed up their work” to benefit from available financial aid, but the process of securing necessary permits, technical studies, and validation from project managers is proving to be a major hurdle.
The sluggish pace of reconstruction has led to growing discontent, with villagers near the epicenter taking to the streets last month to demand faster aid disbursement and more flexible building regulations. Many earthquake victims are still living in tents or have been forced to relocate, struggling to find affordable housing.
Mohamed Belhassen, a resident of Amizmiz, a village near Marrakech, criticized the “dismal failure” of reconstruction efforts, highlighting the desperate situation faced by many affected individuals. Siham Azeroual, founder of an NGO assisting earthquake victims in the Taroudant region, echoed these sentiments, describing the situation as unchanged with reconstruction proceeding at a snail’s pace. She emphasized the exhaustion and frustration of quake victims trapped in a bureaucratic labyrinth.
While nearly 58,000 affected individuals have received the first installment of state aid, only 939 families have received the final payment. The government has also introduced monthly grants for affected families and an $11-billion aid program for reconstruction and development over the next five years. However, these measures seem insufficient to alleviate the plight of the affected population and address the growing frustration with the pace of reconstruction.
The slow progress in rebuilding homes and the lack of adequate support for earthquake victims raise serious concerns about the government’s commitment to ensuring a swift and effective recovery in the affected region. The urgency of the situation demands swift action to address the needs of those affected and ensure a brighter future for the communities shattered by the earthquake.
