Morocco to spend more than $300 million on flood recovery

Morocco plans to spend some $330 million on regions hit hardest by weeks of flooding across the country's north that have battered its key agricultural zones, the government said Thursday.

King Mohammed VI instructed the government to launch "a broad support programme for affected families and communities", according to a government statement.

The four deluge-stricken provinces -- Larache, Kenitra, Sidi Kacem, Sidi Slimane -- were designated disaster zones, with a budget of 3 billion dirhams (about $328 million) earmarked for the response.

The funds will go towards repairing damaged road and agricultural infrastructure, relocating displaced households, compensating for lost income and refurbishing flooded homes and businesses.

The aid will also target farmers and cover basic needs for affected populations. The "exceptional weather conditions" that have swept Morocco since late January have "flooded more than 110,000 hectares" of land and displaced nearly 188,000 people across these regions, the government said.

Authorities carried out preventive and emergency evacuations, but four people died last weekend in the Tetouan area when a flash flood swept away their vehicle.

A passenger is still missing.

The Gharb and Loukkos river basins, which empty into the Atlantic and irrigate the four provinces, are among Morocco's most important agricultural zones.

They are home to large cereal farms, livestock holdings and major plantations of red fruits, vegetables and sugar beets for export.

From January 11 to February 11, water inflows reached 8.82 billion cubic metres -- nearly matching the combined total of the past two years (9 billion), according to the government.