Food Aid Sustains Quake-Hit Villages in Morocco, for Now
After years of drought, water finally came to one parched region of the Atlas Mountains in northern Morocco last month, freed from the ground by the earthquake that killed thousands and devastated whole villages.
In the days following the disaster, it bubbled up through cracks in the earth and flowed down arid stream beds to long-desiccated fields.
In the mountain village of Douar Tighitcht, the appearance of the water was seen as something of a miracle. Villagers hurried to their fields, plowing the damp earth and planting crops — peppers, eggplants, potatoes and carrots — that they hoped would help improve the dire food situation in the quake-hit region.
Mohamed Tamim, a college professor based in the capital city of Rabat who is a native of the village, had mixed feelings about the water rising in Tighitcht’s reservoir, mindful that the hard earth and sudden flow could result in unwanted flooding.
“Everybody is plowing to take advantage of this God-sent water,” he said. “It’s good but at the same time it’s scary.”
The earthquake that struck Morocco on Sept. 8 killed about 3,000 people and left thousands homeless and in need of help in regions that have long been subject to the vagaries of fickle seasons.
