Residents of the Moroccan port city of Safi are accusing authorities of abandoning working-class neighbourhoods, ignoring known flood risks and failing to maintain basic infrastructure, after flash floods killed at least 37 people.
Four days after torrential rain struck the Atlantic coastal city on Sunday, shock and mourning have given way to fury.
Muddy water continues to resurface in narrow alleyways of the old town, despite repeated efforts to clear it away, reinforcing complaints of long-standing abandonment.
"There is no maintenance of the sewage system where we live. We aren't prepared for the arrival of winter and rain," Reda, a man in his thirties from the old town, told RFI.
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He said the aftermath of the disaster has laid bare deep social inequality.
"The people who live here are working class. Politicians neglect this social class, do nothing for our rights, don't represent us, and this is what happens," he said.
The flood risk is well known in Safi. The city's history is marked by several deadly floods linked to the Chaâba River, which runs through the old town. Dry for most of the year, it becomes dangerous during heavy rainfall.
Videos circulating on social media showed torrents of muddy water rushing through streets and sweeping away cars, rubbish bins and crates of goods.
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Years of neglect
The floods are the deadliest of this kind in Morocco in a decade. At least 70 homes and shops were flooded, Moroccan authorities said on Monday. Fourteen people were still receiving medical care, including two in intensive care.
Heavy rain flooded buildings in the old town and cut many roads in and around the city, which lies around 300 kilometres south of the capital Rabat. Schools were closed on Monday as residents assessed the damage and cleaned their homes.
Political parties, local organisations and trade unions on Tuesday announced the creation of a "solidarity commission" - which said the tragedy was "the direct result of years of abandonment" and poor management of infrastructure.
"Safi has experienced a process of marginalisation," said Abdellah Mzirda, a member of the commission. "There is neither development nor progress in Safi, even though it's a city that produces phosphate. The resources here are significant."
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Protest planned
The solidarity commission has called for a sit-in on Sunday to "express the collective anger" of residents. Local authorities did not respond to requests for comment.
The national prosecutor's office has opened an investigation to "determine the causes of this tragic incident and clarify the circumstances".
Morocco is experiencing heavy rain and snowfall after seven years of drought that had depleted several major reservoirs.
Authorities said on Tuesday they were rolling out nationwide emergency aid - including food supplies and blankets - to help around 73,000 households across 28 provinces affected by freezing temperatures, rain and snow.
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