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PRIME MINISTER'S DEPARTMENT
NATIONAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT AGENCY
PRIME MINISTER'S DEPARTMENT
NATIONAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT AGENCY
Warning in every language: Morocco’s fight against deadly heatwaves with life-saving alerts
- Admin UKK
- Berita
CASABLANCA, July 9 — Lhoussaine Youabd knows nearly all the languages spoken in Morocco, a useful skill in his role warning the population of growing climate-related risks in the country braving increasingly common heatwaves.
“Every time a weather alert is issued, I go on the media to warn Moroccans,” Youabd, 52, a meteorological engineer at the national weather service, told AFP.
This has been his mission for the past decade, going on TV and radio stations to get the message across to as many Moroccans as possible, particularly in remote rural areas.
Youabd said villagers are “happy that we speak their language” — dialects of colloquial Arabic or those used by the Amazigh — when issuing updates, warnings and recommendations that could be life-saving.
The General Directorate of Meteorology (DGM) has recently declared 2024 Morocco’s hottest year on record while registering an average rainfall deficit of -24.7 per cent, on the North African country’s seventh straight year of drought.
In late June this year, as a deadly heatwave affected large areas of southern Europe — across the Mediterranean from Morocco — the DGM said several cities broke their temperature records for that month.
Displaying a weather forecast map mostly shaded in intense red, Meriem Alaouri, the interim head of the national weather service in Casablanca, said that the upcoming summer months are expected to be even hotter than usual.
Scientists say that recurring heatwaves are a clear marker of global warming and that they are set to become more frequent, longer and more intense.
Fuelled by human-driven climate change, 2024 was the warmest year on record globally — and 2025 is projected to rank among the top three.
When extreme weather events hit, like heatwaves, storms or floods, Moroccan authorities issue colour-coded warning bulletins that are transmitted by the civil defence and media outlets.
Youabd said that in recent years, text messages are also used to alert local officials across the country, who can then notify residents in their area.
The DGM has also expanded its social media presence, using networks like Facebook and LinkedIn to get the message across, and a “Smart Alert” that would land directly in Moroccans’ mobile phones is currently being developed, he said.
No power
Hicham Fenniri, director of the International Water Research Institute at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, said it was important to ensure local, regional and national leaders and decision-makers are well informed about climate risks.
In remote areas, connecting residents to the electricity grid is crucial to make sure they can “access information” and install air conditioning systems, he said.
Traditional houses “but remade using clean science and technology” can help reduce some effects of the intense heat, along with ensuring access to potable water to mitigate dehydration risks.
In 2024, authorities said that 5.4 percent of Moroccans living in rural areas did not have access to electricity, and 20.4 percent had no reliable source of clean water.
Ben Achir Chekroun, a 66-year-old pensioner from Harhoura, south of the capital Rabat, said that the weather alerts were easy to follow.
“We get the information either from the radio, on online media and in newspapers,” he told AFP.
Loubna Rouhi, head physician at the local medical centre in Harhoura, said that in the scorching heat, it was recommended to stay in the shade and avoid going outside during the hottest hours, between 10 am and 4 pm, as well as wearing light clothes and staying hydrated.
The 48-year-old doctor said that she has used health ministry notices to help inform the population about the risks of extreme heat.
One recent campaign launched by the ministry aims to warn against scorpions and snakes, which are far more active in the heat.
Mohammed Esmaili, a senior health ministry official, said that a specialised medical kit has “helped significantly reduce mortality” linked to scorpion or snake bites, from 7.2 per cent of cases in 2013 down to 1.2 per cent. — AFP
MARSEILLE: A wildfire raging near Marseille on Tuesday forced the shutdown of the city’s airport, disrupted rail services, and damaged dozens of homes, with authorities warning of a high-risk summer ahead. The blaze, fueled by strong winds and dry vegetation following a heatwave, remains uncontained, according to Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau.
The fire began near Pennes-Mirabeau, north of Marseille, and rapidly spread across 700 hectares, sending thick smoke into the sky. Marseille Provence Airport suspended operations at midday, cancelling 54 flights and diverting 14 others before a partial reopening in the evening. The SNCF rail operator reported multiple cancellations, with services expected to remain disrupted on Wednesday.
Retailleau confirmed 400 evacuations, 63 damaged homes, and around 100 minor injuries, praising emergency efforts for preventing fatalities. “At the moment, there are no deaths, which is remarkable given the extent of the fires,“ he said. Marseille Mayor Benoit Payan warned residents the flames were “at the doors of Marseille,“ urging those in northern areas to avoid roads for rescue access.
Scientists attribute the fire’s intensity to climate change, which prolongs heatwaves and dries landscapes. Similar blazes near Narbonne have consumed 2,000 hectares, with over 1,000 firefighters deployed. The A9 motorway to Spain, initially closed, gradually reopened.
Local retiree Martine Bou described fleeing her home with pets, while her husband Frederic stayed to protect their property. “I’ve never seen anything like it,“ he said, recalling flames towering dozens of metres high. -AFP
Paris: Kebakaran hutan yang merebak dengan pantas akibat dibadai angin sekencang 70 kilometer sejam memaksa Lapangan Terbang Marseille Provence di selatan Perancis ditutup dan semua penerbangan digantung, menurut pihak berkuasa tempatan pada Selasa, lapor Xinhua.
Menurut perkhidmatan bomba, kebakaran bermula berhampiran kawasan Les Pennes Mirabeau, di utara Marseille dan kini menjejaskan kira-kira 30 hektar tanah. Seramai 168 anggota bomba, bersama 68 jentera bomba dan dua helikopter, dikerahkan untuk mengawal kebakaran.
Pihak berkuasa wilayah Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur mengeluarkan arahan keselamatan kecemasan di platform media sosial X (Twitter), menggesa penduduk untuk kekal berada di dalam rumah, menutup tingkap dan pintu, memastikan laluan kecemasan tidak dihalang dan mengelakkan perjalanan yang tidak perlu di kawasan terjejas.
Operasi penerbangan di Lapangan Terbang Marseille digantung sekitar tengah hari dan banyak penerbangan dialihkan ke lapangan terbang lain di rantau itu. Setakat ini, tiada garis masa diberikan untuk pembukaan semula lapangan terbang itu.
Sementara itu, di kawasan berhampiran Narbonne di barat daya Perancis, satu lagi kebakaran besar memusnahkan sekitar 2,000 hektar tanah sejak Isnin.
HANGZHOU, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Typhoon Danas, the fourth typhoon of the year, made its third landfall in the coastal area of Rui'an City in east China's Zhejiang Province late on Tuesday, local authorities have confirmed.
According to the provincial meteorological observatory, the center of the tropical storm made landfall at around 11:45 p.m., packing winds of up to 20 meters per second, with a central pressure of at least 992 hectopascals.
This followed Danas' initial landfall in Taiwan early on Monday, and second landfall in Dongtou District of Wenzhou, also in Zhejiang, at 9:25 p.m. Tuesday.
KATHMANDU: Sekurang-kurangnya 18 individu dilaporkan hilang awal pagi Selasa dalam kejadian banjir akibat hujan lebat berterusan di kawasan utara Nepal, menurut polis tempatan, lapor Xinhua.
Jurucakap polis daerah Rasuwa Inspektor Krishna Dhital berkata pihaknya menerima laporan bahawa sekurang-kurangnya 18 orang hilang dalam kejadian banjir yang berlaku di kawasan sempadan Rasuwagadhi.
"Kebanyakan mereka sedang bekerja di pelabuhan darat berhampiran sempadan," katanya.
Dhital menambah bahawa sebuah jambatan di kawasan sempadan itu telah hanyut dibawa arus manakala beberapa kenderaan elektrik yang diletakkan di pelabuhan darat turut dihanyutkan.
-- BERNAMA
