The fire that occurred last Thursday in a gas depot in the industrial zone of Mohammedia raised many questions relating to the safety of families living near oil companies and energy product depots. For some elected officials and associative actors, it is time to review the city’s development plan.
A fire broke out on December 22, 2022 in a gas depot in Mohammedia. Thanks to the mobilization of the teams dispatched to the scene, no casualties were to be deplored and the neighboring area was evacuated in time. However, this episode raises again, according to elected officials and association actors, the question of the inadequacy of the urban development master plan of the city.
For Hicham Aït Menna, President of the Municipal Council of Mohammedia, it will be necessary to review the development plan of the city. “These development plans are generally studied elsewhere and subsequently sent to the municipalities for approval, without prior consultation. Now that all the cities are growing and expanding, we will have to take this situation into account, either by limiting this expansion or by relocating the black spots”, he said, questioned by Le360.
Another member of the Municipal Council, also contacted by Le360also pointed out the shortcomings of the city’s development plan, pointing out that several residential areas, but also slums and slums, are located near oil companies, energy product depots, Samir, or the National Electrolysis and Petrochemical Company (SNEP).
“This is a risk area due to the presence of dangerous products. However, the speed with which the issue of the fire was identified, says a lot about the predispositions and what must be done. This is a question that was already asked at the time when we had begun to realize a more or less accentuated urban extension, ”he adds.
Our interlocutor continues: “This is a question that is in the mind of the entire Council team, whether it is the opposition or the majority. This is a problem that keeps coming back. What happened is certainly a tragic reminder of this reality, but it was dealt with quickly and diligently.”
Houcine El Yamani, general secretary of the National Syndicate of Petroleum and Gas Industries, affiliated to the CDT, explains, for his part, that the energy industry represents a high risk and that similar accidents can occur. He too confirms that the industrial area of the city was developed when nearby places were not populated.
For Mohamed Sahim, an associative actor, the location of current residential areas is critical. He points out, at the same time, that the empty lots that separated the black spots of the city, such as the chemical companies, the Samir and the gas depots, from the populated neighborhoods have experienced a movement over the past six years. of striking urban extension.
As a reminder, the Ministry of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development announced, in a press release relayed on Friday December 23, 2022, that a mixed prefectural commission, made up of representatives of the local authorities, bodies and ministerial departments concerned, has been set up. in place to investigate the accident, assess the damage and take the necessary decisions.