Moroccan authorities have introduced a series of preventive technical measures to combat forest fires in the summer.
A heatwave has raised concerns about the outbreak of more forest fires in Morocco amid a drought ravaging the North African country for the sixth consecutive year. Especially in recent weeks, when Morocco has seen temperatures rise.
The Moroccan government has introduced a series of preventive and technical measures to prevent the outbreak of new forest fires in the country. Authorities have drawn up plans to increase coordination between relevant bodies, including the army and civil defence authorities, to help fight forest fires.
Some 153 million dirhams ($15.3 million) has been allocated to provide the necessary equipment to fight fires, buy new fire engines and strengthen ground and air monitoring, according to the National Water and Forestry Agency. The agency provided new firefighting aircraft, bringing the number of aircraft used to fight forest fires in Morocco to eight.
Last month, the country’s National Water and Forestry Agency warned of possible forest fires in the summer due to the prolonged heat wave. Forests cover about 12 per cent of Morocco’s territory.
Local authorities say that in 2022, Morocco also recorded about 500 forest fires that destroyed about 1,620 hectares of forest.
Shakeel Alam, a professor of science at the Moulay Ismail University in the eastern city of Errachida, told Anadolu that the number of forest fires in Morocco in 2023 has decreased by 70 per cent compared to 2022. Last year, at least 466 forest fires occurred in the country due to high temperatures, destroying 6,424 hectares of forest.
