Sand plundering : Night-time immersion in the middle of traffic
A team from L’Economiste (reporter and photographer) recently visited several sites in the Gharb region, between Kénitra and Moulay Bousselham. All along the coastal road, soil excavations and disfigurement of marine dunes are visible from afar, especially on the road leading to Moulay Bousselham, exactly at the Sidi Allal Tazi interchange (douar Ouled El Mehdi, 30 km north of Kénitra). From this stretch of motorway, not far from the interchange, dump trucks could be seen near the shoreline.
All around the vehicles, young people with shovels are filling up the skip of a truck, some 100 meters from the beach. We try to move forward a little more quietly to take photos without flash, under the moonlight. Suddenly, two sand-laden trucks drive by, their lights off, heading for the freeway. Barely ten meters separate us from the overloaded vehicles.
At this point, the photographer sets off a flurry of flashbulbs to catch them in the act. For further proof, we decide to follow a truck on a track adjacent to the freeway. A few minutes later, however, the trucker stops the engine and the track in question turns out to be a dead end…
Even on Google Earth, the area is clearly visible with holes.
This field trip confirms that sand plundering is commonplace in the Gharb region, especially in the area between PK (mileposts) 75 and 95 and near the Sidi Allal Tazi interchange.
Even on Google Earth, the area in question is clearly visible, with holes, soil excavations and broken dunes… In fact, overexploitation intensifies 5 km from Sidi-Allal-Tazi and continues 10 km further to the Sidi El Hachmi El Bahraoui hamlet. Connections between the road and motorway network, as well as secondary roads 2 and 3 in the Gharb region, enable looters to disappear in just a few minutes.
■ We’re caught in a trap
At one point, we realize we’re trapped in a dead end. Within seconds, colossal diggers emerge from the quarry, shovels in hand, and surround our vehicle, shouting insults and all manner of threats. After a few tense exchanges, they understand that we are journalists. But even as they check on our condition, the tone escalates and the threats become more virulent. Muscular, scarred shovel-men try to block our path and violently bang the hood. At this point, we try to reverse and force our way back to the freeway. According to our guide, “ these people are very violent. They’re usually ex-convicts with nothing to lose. They’re not even afraid of the gendarmes…”. On this advice, we decided to leave before more looters arrived.
■ 8,000 Dirhams per truck/trip
In the Kénitra area alone, the volume of sand extracted is estimated at over 27 million cubic meters, all extractions combined. In all, some one hundred trucks operate in total clandestinity and impunity, making an average of 2 to 4 trips a day. Truckers from the North make 2 trips a day, while those from the Gharb make an average of four. In terms of volume, this corresponds to the equivalent of 5,000 cubic meters per day, at a rate of 8,000 dirhams (USD 800) per trip/truck. In terms of value, sand professionals speak of a revenue and net profit of at least 600,000 dirhams (USD 60,000) /day for the entire zone. A windfall that no other traffic can achieve in such a short space of time! This is what is at stake for operators, hauliers, and other people. In principle, the loading capacity of a small solo truck is 5 cubic meters. But in reality, here truck bodies are transformed by makeshift bodybuilders and configured to load 12 cubic meters, the equivalent of 18 tons per truck.
Amin RBOUB
