Developing Climate Risk Management Approaches for Flood Risks

The industrial zone in AÏt Melloul lies in the Souss Massa region, 20km from the port of Agadir. The industrial zone is managed by the local government and hosts 300 enterprises, most of which are SMEs in the food processing industry. Overall, 25,000 employees depend directly or indirectly on business in the industrial zone.

The park was hit successively in 2010, 2014 and 2016 by major floods caused by heavy precipitation events in the zone. A badly maintained drainage system is essentially responsible for the damages and losses which occurred. In addition, a low level of risk awareness and prevention by the individual companies increased the impact. The plight of Ait Melloul is indicative of broader climate trends facing the country. Morocco has suffered greatly from flooding, with nine out of the top ten natural disasters in the years 2002–2011 being floods.