Sometimes one can only be perplexed by the State's double-standard policy regarding the scourge of rural exodus on the one hand, and the sterility of national strategies and programmes due essentially to the mediocrity of implementation processes at the local level on the other. In the Fès region, there are still Douars that ask for the vital minimum for their survival: drinking water for their children and their livestock, proper access and roads, and services that respect their citizenship.

In the province of Zouagha-Moulay Yacoub, the rural commune of Sebaa Rouadi, more precisely in six of its Douars (Tamrat Laadam, Guerzin, Laasama, Ouled Yaaguoub, Ouled Ali, and Bib Errih), 200 households and thousands of heads of livestock have been suffering for three years from a constant shortage of water resources due to a lack of regular supply by the ONEP.

In a region rich in water resources, five Douars are supplied with drinking water from only one tap! Yet, the surrounding Douars have already benefited from a home connection operation, while neighbouring homes and private projects are generously supplied.

A fountain with a single tap built in the early 80s still ensures the supply of drinking water to the area, thus subjecting several hundred citizens daily to painful hours of waiting and humiliation, often returning home empty-handed.

"I travel daily far from the Douar to work, I cannot ask my wife, out of respect, to go out and look for water, and I do not want to force my son to leave school to spend the day looking for a drop of water: can you find me a solution please? We all voted yes for the new Constitution which guarantees the right of access to water, so where is this water?", a citizen scandalised by a frequent and long cut in drinking water declared to us, not without pointing the finger at the elected council and the National Office for Drinking Water.

The latter claims to be making efforts to ensure the supply of the said Douars, while pointing out the existence of a project to connect households to the public network, which is still pending due to a lack of funding. On the other hand, the officials of the ONEP as well as the local authorities insist on the priority of creating local associations that will subsequently take charge of the management of drinking water distribution projects at home.

At the time we were going to press, the famous tap still lacks water, thus forcing the fountain manager into long hours of unemployment. The latter, appointed by the president of the commune 15 years ago, ensures the daily operation of the fountain and is in charge of collecting fees in exchange for a percentage of the quarterly revenue. He is still there, under the sun, waiting for water to flow from the famous tap, because his children's bread depends essentially on the water supposed to flow regularly.

Some officials mention geographical constraints that stand in the way of the project to connect households to the public network, while citizens still do not understand why Douars further away from the Oum Lakhnafer source have already benefited from the home service. Protests are in full swing, the water returns and then disappears again, and the spectre of a new peaceful march on donkey-back towards the province headquarters is looming.

Moreover, drinking water is not the only concern of the inhabitants of the Douars Tamrat Laadam, Guerzin, Laasama, Ouled Yaaguoub, Ouled Ali, and Bib Errih. Their daily problems also concern roads, education, health services, and administrative services, among others.

"We have felt a kind of "Hogra" (injustice) since our Douars were annexed to the commune of Sebaa Rouadi following the construction of the Sidi Chahed dam; our Douars are excluded from the programmes and priorities of the elected council, whose president has not set foot in our area since his election," a citizen declared to us, not without bitterness.

Yet, the Douars house a significant population, the households are grouped, which should encourage officials to capitalise on this factor to facilitate citizens' access to basic services. Unfortunately, the inhabitants complain about the weakness of the reception structures, the lack of schools, the absence of sanitary blocks, and the poor supply of drinking water…

"We are all aware of the importance of education; therefore, we are committed to the fight against school dropout, but the efforts made by the ministry in our Douars are still below expectations. The girls need sanitary blocks to continue attending school, which must be protected by a wall and a guard," a parent of a student confided to us.

As for health services, they reflect a situation tainted by the deficit in material and human resources, and the absence of medicines to such an extent that citizens buy syringes from the grocer near the dispensary, where people are poorly welcomed and mistreated. As a result, they now prefer to travel to the Sebaa Rouadi health centre, where they are better served and treated without being forced to show their credentials…

The inhabitants of the said Douars also complain about the blocking of their building permits as well as free standard plans; several dozen have submitted requests on this subject but without receiving a response from the competent services. As a result, one easily notices the spread of anarchic constructions, the degradation of several dozen dwellings, and the poorly organised extension of the Douars.