MOROCCO: Poorly Constructed Dam Set Villagers On Their Heels

The destruction of the school comes several years after the Moroccan state started to build the Tamalout dam in 2008. When complete, the dam will block the Ansegmir River causing waters to rise over the school, the village and farmland where they grow apple trees, wheat, and potatoes.

Funded by the Kuwaiti Fund for Economic Development, the dam's reservoir will hold 50 million cubic metres of water which normally pours into the Moulouya river basin. According to the Secretariat for Water and the Environment, the reservoir will irrigate 5,000 hectares of agricultural land.

A press release issued by the royal palace explains that the dam will "stimulate the region's economy, will contribute to ecological and rural tourism in the Ansegmir Valley" and "improve the life and health conditions of the residents".

According to Mohamed Kettani, an official from the Ministry of Energy and Mines "the dam's construction was in response to the pressing demands of the region's farmers who drew our attention to an alarming decrease in the region's water table".

Kettani also claims the dam will provide drinking water and irrigate 5,000 hectares of fruit trees in the Midelt region.

However, when filled, the dam's reservoir will inundate the village of Tizinzou. According to one of its residents, Driss Abghor, the destruction of the school, the removal of power lines and the demolition of approximately half the houses, "was clearly meant to force us out".

"The governor sent bulldozers that were protected by armed Auxiliary Forces [a paramilitary force]," Abghor told Al Jazeera.

But according to Kettani, "all the expropriations were necessary in order to complete the construction of the dam. The school, the houses and the power line were legally demolished according to a court decision".

Despite the demolitions, many of Tizinzou's 160 families refuse to leave, citing insufficient compensation from the state. The residents regularly organise protests in their village. According to Aziz Oulalou, a Tizinzou farmer and community organiser, almost the entire village community attended the 15 protests they have held so far since 2009.

As reported by Aljazera