Morocco faces a steep annual cost from natural disasters, estimated at over MAD 8 billion (USD 801 million), according to a recent report from the Economic, Social and Environmental Council.
The disasters are due to the country’s unpredictable climate and diverse geological and geographical conditions and represent 0.8% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Between 2021 and 2023, Morocco endured several extreme events, including the devastating Al Haouz earthquake in 2023, catastrophic floods in Tangier in 2021 and Oujda in 2023, widespread forest fires in the northern regions in 2022, and escalating droughts that threaten agriculture.
Floods alone account for nearly half the annual cost, with damages exceeding MAD 4 billion (USD 400 million) annually. Earthquakes contribute an average of MAD 900 million (USD 90 million) in yearly economic losses, while droughts cost the agricultural sector roughly MAD 3 billion (USD 300 million) annually.
The World Bank warns that rare events, such as tsunamis, commonly onset from earthquakes, could result in damages of up to MAD 58 billion (USD 5.8 billion).
In response to the escalating threat, Morocco has implemented risk management initiatives for over two decades.
Key measures include bolstering institutions like the National Meteorology Directorate, Water Basin Agencies, and the National Institute of Geophysics.
The 2020-2030 National Disaster Risk Management Strategy looks to enhance coordination, unify efforts, and allocate resources efficiently.
Despite the ongoing efforts, challenges persist. Gaps in local-level disaster readiness, weak infrastructure resilience, and limited public awareness of risk prevention hinder the full implementation of risk management strategies, the report warns.
Rural areas, in particular, remain highly vulnerable due to fragile social and economic factors.
To mitigate future risks, Morocco must strengthen community resilience, streamline legal frameworks, and foster collaboration across all sectors. Only by addressing these issues can the country reduce the staggering economic toll of natural disasters, the council points out.
Rephrase in a different way as if you were a native American speaker as a content creation expert and do not talk about yourself or your experience in the text and do not show yourself as an artificial intelligence who wrote and fill the bullet point in the topic and speak the heart of the topic itself and dont take date of blog in ther first and dont take text like box of newsliter subscribe on post from content and romove all linke insert in content and and remove all affiliate disclosure phrases on content like this “This post may contain Amazon or other affiliate links that allow us to earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Please see our Disclosure Policy for more info” and “#” put in its place bullet point, and romove name of the web site or his links we are take a content from our new creation
