HIBAPRESS – By A. Mahyawi
Following the High Royal Instructions of King Mohammed VI, aimed at raising the level of mobilization to address the potential repercussions of weather fluctuations during the winter season 2025–2026, Rachid Benchikhi, the Governor of the Taza region, chaired an expanded meeting of the Regional Committee for Vigilance and Monitoring of Risks resulting from the cold wave, at the headquarters of the prefecture.
This meeting comes within the framework of the comprehensive mobilization of all relevant services and institutions, in the presence of the heads of military and security services, local authorities, heads of decentralized services, along with the presidents of the concerned territorial councils. It was dedicated to reviewing the regional action plan aimed at mitigating the effects of the cold wave and climate fluctuations, and ensuring the protection of the targeted population, especially in mountainous and remote areas. In his opening speech, the governor of the region emphasized that this meeting falls within the implementation of the High Royal Directives, and the activation of the provisions of the ministerial circular related to the comprehensive national plan to reduce the repercussions of the cold wave, stressing that the number of the population concerned in the region amounts to about 18,000 people, distributed over 77 villages and 1,668 families, which requires permanent vigilance and close coordination between the various stakeholders to ensure the effectiveness and speed of interventions. During the meeting, sectoral presentations were given that addressed the outlines of the national plan and the regional action plan for the winter season 2025–2026, along with a presentation on the “Care” operation, which is dedicated to bringing health services closer to the targeted population, and the preparations of the equipment and water sector to face snowfalls and weather disturbances, as well as the interventions of the other concerned sectors that reviewed the measures taken and expected during this period. Following the discussion, a package of practical measures was agreed upon, the most prominent of which is activating the role of regional and local vigilance committees, mobilizing qualified human resources and harnessing logistical means to remove snow and open road axes and rural paths to break the isolation of the affected villages, while ensuring rapid intervention to repair potential malfunctions that may affect water, electricity, liquid sanitation and communications networks, and cleaning water channels and intensifying monitoring of infrastructure to avoid risks. The measures also included the enumeration and follow-up of 54 pregnant women before delivery to ensure their care in nearby maternity homes, taking care of the homeless and those with chronic diseases, ensuring the readiness of ambulances and the possibility of air intervention when necessary, as well as following up on the supply of basic materials, organizing multi-specialty medical convoys, and supporting health centers with medicines within the framework of the “Care” operation. On the social and educational side, it was decided to provide educational institutions, boarding schools, and student residences with sufficient quantities of heating wood, and to shelter the homeless in social centers designated for that purpose, with the provision of necessary blankets and mattresses. At the conclusion of the meeting, the governor of the Taza region called for the highest degrees of mobilization and vigilance, and a positive interaction with the warning bulletins issued by the General Directorate of Meteorology, stressing the necessity of immediate and effective implementation of the various agreed measures, strengthening field coordination, and opening up to civil society فعاليات to organize awareness campaigns for the benefit of the population about the risks of weather fluctuations, in a way that ensures the protection of lives and property during the current winter season.
