The risk of forest fires will be "very high" during this summer, affirmed the High Commissioner for Water and Forests and the Fight against Desertification, Abdelaadim Lhafi, on Thursday in Rabat, calling on citizens to be vigilant in order to avoid any behaviour that could cause fires.

During a meeting of the commission in charge of implementing the master plan for the prevention and fight against forest fires, Mr Lhafi noted that the Moroccan forest is among the Mediterranean forests most exposed to the risk of fire, specifying that this risk increases during years marked by heavy rainfall, where easily flammable grasses proliferate.

Mr Lhafi noted, on the other hand, the low level of burnt areas in Morocco in 2012, in comparison with other countries in the Mediterranean basin, attributing this to the effectiveness of the prevention and control measures taken by the various stakeholders.

These stakeholders, he explained, work within the framework of the master plan for the prevention and fight against forest fires which is based on three components, namely prevention and awareness, detection and alert, and post-fire fighting.

The Kingdom has acquired, during the last decade, great expertise in terms of coordination and responsiveness to fires, noted Mr Lhafi, specifying that 90% of the fires that broke out in 2012 were brought under control with the required efficiency and speed.

Thus, he adds, the area damaged by each of these fires did not exceed 5 hectares, with the exception of three fires that ravaged more than 4,100 hectares (i.e. 62% of the total burnt areas), in the Nador, Tangier and Larache regions.

Furthermore, Mr Lhafi announced that the forest fire control programme for 2013 provides for the creation of a centre specialised in the detection and fight against this scourge, as well as the implementation of a new intervention strategy marked by the strengthening of logistical equipment and the intensification of control operations.

According to statistics from the High Commission, 484 fires damaged nearly 6,700 hectares in 2012, notably in the Rif (45%) and the Oriental, 90% of which were caused by human action.