Emergency rehousing initiatives | L’Economiste

50.000 homes totally or partially collapsed… That is the provisional toll of property damage in the five provinces affected by the earthquake that struck the Marrakech region on September 08. Two weeks after the tragedy, the urgent need is to rehouse the victims while awaiting reconstruction, which will take several months.

«We have several avenues and scenarios that we are currently studying. We’ve already started by taking stock of vacant and unsold housing in the region, with a view to rehousing some families. In total, Marrakech has almost a thousand vacant apartments between Tamansourt, Chouiter, the Amizmiz road…», Adil Bouhaja, President of the Association of Developers and Promoters of Residential and Tourist Real Estate in the Marrakech-Safi Region, told L’Economiste.

Among the major real estate groups with programs in the region and vacant housing stocks are Al Omrane in Tamansourt, Addoha in Abouab Marrakech, and Alliance in Chouiter and on the road to Amizmiz… The largest mobilizable stock of unsold units is split between Addoha and Al Omrane.

«We’re waiting for the green light from the Ministry of Housing before taking action», said the president of the Marrakech-Safi Developers’ Association. Although the developers say they are ready to rehouse the affected families, President Adil Bouhaja has some reservations: «It is going to be difficult to rehouse these families, as they are very attached to their hamlets and villages. People affected by the disaster have their bearings. They have a strong attachment to the land. People want to stay close to their homes, their neighbors, and their community in these difficult times».

Another approach that has already been tried out is to set up containers, mobile homes, and cabins in the centers of rural circles. « This solution is certainly costly and temporary, but it has the merit of preserving the dignity of large families « , says a local community activist.

As a reminder, the emergency rehousing program mainly mobilizes the Government’s own financial resources and those of public bodies. The program is nonetheless also open to private operators, associations, and NGOs…

For the time being, the priority on site is to carry out various studies (soil, environment, seismic movements…) before launching the reconstruction work. «We’re going to have to give ourselves time to do the studies properly before rebuilding. It is not so much the building work that will take the longest, but above all the mobilization of local materials…», explained Adil Bouhaja.

Amin RBOUB