Friday, February 24, 2006

Great news for a Moroccan River - and the Tanneries.

Sebou River pollution is to receive thirty million Euro from a French Agency - and that is great news for Fes.

The French Development Agency is lending the Water and Power Utility of Fès Euro 30Mn to carry out a program on the depollution of the Sebou River draining basin and the protection of the environment and water resources in this north central region of Morocco.

The loan convention is to be signed on February 28 by the "Agence française de développement" (AFD) and the "Régie autonome de distribution d'eau et d'électricité de Fès" (RADEEF).

The Sebou River, which flows some 300 km from the Rif Mountains westward to the Atlantic town of Kenitra, is polluted by home sewage and industrial liquid waste, notably tanning and oil processing concerns of the town of Fès. The pollution from the famous tanneries has long been a problem and this new program could be a major step towards cleaning up the effluent from the historic site.

The program aims at preventing health hazards deriving from water-born diseases to the populations living downstream of the river, as well as increasing water resources for RADEEF and protecting the environment.

A water purification plant and several liquid waste drains to channel used water to the plant are to be built under the program close to Fès. The total program funds are estimated at around Euro 90Mn to be contributed to by several Moroccan departments.


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