The initiative is part of Morocco’s national plan to ensure the safety of its citizens during the cold snaps.
The Moroccan government has distributed 150 satellite phones in several villages in mountainous areas, in preparation of the cold weather in the upcoming months.
A satellite phone connects to the telephone network by radio through orbiting satellites instead of terrestrial cell sites, as cellphones do. Satellite phones can work in areas that are off the telephone network grid.
The country’s Delegate Minister at the Ministry of Interior, Noureddine Boutayeb, said that the satellite phones would allow people in these areas better access to communication during the cold months. “There is no longer any territorial or telephone isolation,” Boutayeb said.
The initiatives include raising awareness of cold waves, guaranteeing a normal supply of primary products, making a census of pregnant women, taking care of the homeless, and distributing firewood.
Authorities have also mobilised 2,480 doctors and medical staff, 745 mobile medical units, 465 ambulances, 1,480 snow removal machines, and 1,003 drivers.
