HIBAPRESS – Abdelatif Baraka
For fifty years, the sands of Agadir beaches remained relatively stable, until the winter of 2026 revealed an unprecedented transformation, manifested by extensive sand erosion along the central and northern coast of the city, presenting the Souss-Massa capital with a new environmental and tourism challenge.
The raging waves and frequent storms have revealed the fragility of the nature of Agadir Bay, leading to unprecedented beach erosion, especially in the central, northern, and southern areas of the city, where parts of it have turned into exposed rocks, while the sand in the center has decreased by more than two meters, revealing the concrete foundations of the corniche.
Scientifically, this phenomenon is explained by the interaction of several natural factors, including the increased intensity of waves and marine storms resulting from climate change, the rise in sea level, which reduces the beach's ability to absorb rainwater and high tide, in addition to the change in coastal wind directions that carry sand away from its original locations.
The sedimentary structure of the sandy crescent and the nature of the seabed also play a major role in determining the speed of sand erosion and its distribution, while the problem can be exacerbated by human activity such as pollution and unsustainable interventions to re-nourish the beach.
While the sanitation services of the territorial communities of the Agadir Ida Outanane prefecture are working on re-nourishing and distributing sand through the use of bulldozers on the beaches annually, especially in the summer, but the extent of erosion this year exceeds the capacity of traditional solutions, making annual maintenance a nearly impossible task.
Also, the wind and the transport of sand towards the corridors and green spaces, as well as the valleys that carry waste into the bay, increase the difficulty of maintaining the natural balance of the coast.
With the emergence of this new phenomenon, Agadir beaches are facing a real test, led by the need to maintain its tourist attractiveness, and to develop sustainable strategies to monitor and protect its coastline before this erosion turns into a long-term environmental crisis.
