Urban Cleanliness Management in Casablanca Faces Criticism
The management of urban cleanliness in Casablanca is currently experiencing significant backlash from various stakeholders, including local council members and workers within the sector. Critics have pointed fingers at the municipal authorities for opting for a non-participatory approach in drafting new regulations, which they argue neglects the human element and the professional dignity of the waste collection workers. This critique was highlighted in a report from the daily newspaper Al Akhbar.
According to Abdelilah Farakh, a member of the Sidi Othmane district council, the new specifications for urban cleanliness management are being developed without the involvement of citizen representatives from the city’s various districts. He emphasized that the municipal strategy fails to consider the unique characteristics of different neighborhoods throughout the metropolis, particularly those facing severe cleanliness challenges.
Farakh pointed out that the underlying issues contributing to the current environmental crisis in the city stem from technical problems at the public landfill. He warned that these technical malfunctions could be exploited by companies engaged in unfair competition, ultimately impacting citizens who bear the brunt of these inefficiencies. Furthermore, he expressed concern for the workers in the sector, noting that waste collectors often face immense pressure and are frequently compelled to manually compress waste, which undermines their professional dignity and exposes them to significant health risks.
Criticism has also been directed at Casa Environnement, the local development company responsible for managing waste collection, which has been criticized for conducting awareness campaigns that incur substantial budgets yet yield little real impact on the ground. This situation has prompted calls from community members in Sidi Othmane and other parts of the metropolis for authorities to prioritize the human element in managing this sector, ensure proper maintenance of equipment, and implement stringent control mechanisms.
As reported by fr.le360.ma.
