Moroccan city Tingdad urges urgent establishment of civil protection center

Civil society and community activists in Tingdad, a city in Morocco's Errachidia province, are urgently appealing to the General Command of Civil Protection and the Ministry of Interior to expedite the establishment of a local civil protection center. They highlight the city's expanding population and geographical area, its strategic location near other communities like Malab, and a rising number of accidents as critical factors necessitating immediate action.

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We are facing an urgent necessity that cannot be postponed.

Ahmad Belhassan, a local activist, explained that community and human rights groups have held coordination meetings to address the persistent delays in emergency interventions for fires, accidents, and floods. These delays stem from the need to wait for civil protection teams dispatched from Rachidia or Erfoud, cities located over 60 kilometers away. Belhassan emphasized that Tingdad, with over 30,000 residents, is a significant economic, agricultural, and tourist hub in the Draa-Tafilalet oases. The city also experiences heavy traffic on National Road 10, linking Rachidia and Tinghir, which increases accident rates. Furthermore, some neighborhoods and adjacent oases suffer from vulnerable infrastructure prone to fires and floods.

Mohamed Al-Murabit, a local resident and activist involved in environmental and oasis associations, stressed the critical nature of the demand, stating, "We are facing an urgent necessity that cannot be postponed." He added that the 40-minute delay in the arrival of ambulances and fire trucks results in costly losses of life and property. Al-Murabit pointed out that a civil protection center in Tingdad would serve a wide geographical area, including several neighboring rural communities and those in the Kalima district, alleviating pressure on existing centers and reducing response times.

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the 40-minute delay in the arrival of ambulances and fire trucks costs us losses in lives and property.

Fatima Bourzaq, an activist with the Oasis Women's Coordination, highlighted that "women and children are the most affected by the absence of a local center." She noted that in cases of difficult childbirth, suffocation, or traffic accidents, "every minute counts." She appealed to the Ministry of Interior to consider the social dimension of this demand. The community has identified a plot of land at the city entrance for the facility and is ready to partner with the ministry for its development, aiming to bring public services closer to citizens and ensure regional equity. They have submitted a comprehensive file to regional authorities detailing demographic data and accident statistics from the past five years, awaiting a positive response from the Civil Protection Command.

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women and children are the most affected by the absence of a local center. In cases of difficult childbirth or traffic accidents, every minute counts.