This meeting, chaired by the Governor of Khemisset Province, Abdellatif Ennahli, and attended by representatives of various sectors and relevant services, comes in implementation of the High Instructions of His Majesty King Mohammed VI to mobilize all logistical means and human resources to provide support and assistance to citizens in facing the cold wave affecting many regions of the Kingdom.
The meeting, during which the main lines of the regional operational program to combat the cold wave were presented, served as an opportunity to review proactive measures to mitigate the negative effects of the cold wave on the population, particularly in mountainous and isolated areas.
In a speech on the occasion, Mr. Ennahli stated that the regional plan to combat the cold wave is "an essential tool for coordinating efforts for effective and efficient emergency intervention," emphasizing that the management of this phase places on all relevant services the responsibility of providing aid and assistance to the population in mountainous and other affected areas.
He explained that the measures of this program are based on three levels including logistical, health, and humanitarian aspects, reviewing the actions taken in this framework, particularly the work to mobilize all machinery specialized in snow removal, providing shelters for the elderly and people in vulnerable situations, equipping all health centers with all necessary human and logistical means, as well as scheduling medical caravans and mobile units for the affected Douars and villages.
Mr. Ennahli highlighted that the operational program for managing the snow and cold wave period, which concerns five territorial communes, 641 families, and 10 Douars, targets a population estimated at 3,370 people.
Regarding the interventions of the competent services since the beginning of the winter season, the provincial governor explained that they have enabled the sheltering of 28 homeless people, provided necessary assistance to 4 pregnant women, and allowed about 504 people from the concerned areas to benefit from medical caravans organized within the framework of the 2024-2025 Riaya operation, in addition to 100 families benefiting from food aid organized by civil society associations.
For his part, the Provincial Delegate for Health and Social Protection, Fouad Kharmas, reviewed the various measures taken within the framework of the 2024-2025 Riaya operation aimed at ensuring an appropriate response to the needs of the population and areas affected by cold waves, particularly isolated areas in rural worlds, highlighting that this operation targets 11 gathering points belonging to seven communes.
In this context, he highlighted the interventions outlined by the delegation to achieve the goals of the Riaya operation, especially the organization of 10 specialized mini-medical caravans to respond to identified needs, the identification of reference treatment institutions, as well as the establishment of a coordination mechanism with partners at the level of the concerned health centers.
He explained that the services affiliated with the Provincial Delegation for Health and Social Protection worked to mobilize 123 health professionals and allocate biomedical equipment, including 8 mobile ultrasound machines, dental chairs, visual acuity measurement devices, and other equipment, in addition to mobile health units and ambulances.
In a statement to the Maghreb Arabe Presse (MAP), the Provincial Director of Equipment, Transport, Logistics, and Water, Abderrahmane Benmoussa, confirmed that the provincial directorate has been carrying out the necessary preparations to manage this phase since last summer, particularly through the maintenance of necessary intervention machinery and the inventory of points that could experience interruptions due to snow, floods, landslides, or wadis.
Mr. Benmoussa indicated that human resources have also been mobilized to ensure proactivity and speed in intervention when any disruptions occur at the level of roads in the province.
This meeting was marked by detailed interventions on the measures taken at the provincial level to face the repercussions of the severe cold wave, by representatives of the Provincial Command of Civil Protection, the Provincial Delegation for Health and Social Protection, the Provincial Directorate of Equipment, Transport, Logistics, and Water, the Provincial Directorate of National Education and Sports, the Provincial Directorate of the National Agency for Water and Forests, the Provincial Directorate of Agriculture, and the Provincial Delegation for National Cooperation.
These interventions focused on the various actions of these services within the framework of the regional action plan aimed at mitigating the negative effects of the cold wave on the local population.
