The effects of the pollution which affected the Bouregreg valley reached the port of “Marina» From Salé city. Lately, passers-by have been surprised to see the harbor water full of blackish stains in addition to an unpleasant odor that has certainly affected the cafes and restaurants located on the Marina.
A few days ago, the advisers of the Federation of the Democratic Left (FGD) to the Council of the administrative capital of the Kingdom sounded the alarm on this subject, noting that this wave of pollution which has poured into the Bouregreg valley caused the emission of an unpleasant odor and a change in color of the water in the valley.
According to data reported by FGD advisers, the source of this pollution is none other than the landfill and recovery center (CEV) of Oum Azza, from which the liquid escaped due to the compression of garbage stored for years. This landfill is located 30 kilometers east of the capital, and processes around 850,000 tonnes of waste per year, coming from 13 municipalities in the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region.
The advisers of the FGD thus declared in their previous press release, that ” the authorities responsible for the center in question have not provided any solution to dry the liquid due to the compression of the garbage, despite the availability of a number of modern technologies known internationally“.
On the other hand, the municipal councilors of the city of Salé underlined another reason for the pollution of the Bouregreg valley, and which would be linked, according to them, to the possibility of a leak from one of the wastewater canals near the river circuit. However, and for the moment, no official data has been published on the direct cause of this pollution which afflicted the waters of the Bouregreg valley and angered a number of inhabitants of Salé, in particular, because of the unpleasant smell.
On social networks, there is no lack of criticism against the local elected officials of Rabat and Salé or the Agence du Bassin Hydraulique du Bouregreg et de la Chaouia (ABHBC) because of this situation.
A number of residents of Salé and Rabat have interacted with the issue. In their comments, they see the pollution of the Bouregreg valley as an “environmental crime at all levels”, demanding that those responsible for this situation be held accountable while working to protect the ecosystem of the valley.
It should be noted that this pollution of the Bouregreg valley has affected traditional and amateur fishermen who go there every day to fish, without forgetting the risk of damaging the components of the river due to this pollution due to the concentrated quantities of heavy metals and microbes present in the liquid called leachate.
The latter remains very dangerous for the environment, report specialists. It contains toxic organic materials in high concentrations and toxic heavy metals that significantly affect the safety of humans, water, and all living things that come in contact with it.
The Bouregreg Environment Network, which brings together four associations working in the environmental field, published a press release concerning this pollution that afflicted the Bouregreg valley. The network, therefore, called on the relevant ministries and authorities to quickly rectify the situation and take the necessary measures. to stop this environmental degradation.
The network had previously alerted the competent authorities to the pollution resulting from the leaks of sewage from Al-Arjat prison and the weekly market ” Khmiss ”(Thursday) and the city of Sidi Allal Al-Bahrawi, which continues to flow in the river despite promises from the authorities since 2018, ensures the network.