Major Marchica project provides for construction of seven tourist, urban cities that are expected to change urban configuration of Grand Nador.
Middle East Online
Ambitious but concrete plans
NADOR (Morocco) – The King of Morocco Mohammed VI Mohammed VI presided, Saturday in Nador, over a ceremony to present the special Marchica lagoon development plan.
On the occasion, the King launched the construction of tourist residences and a golf academy of Atalayoun. This project is intended to promote economic development and tourism in this province. It focuses on the achievement of 145 residential units for a 200 million dirhams investment.
The new development plan, which was adopted after consultation with the populations concerned, reinforces the missions of the Agency for Marchica Development, set up in July 2010, and whose mission originally covered 2,000 ha. With the new plan, the Agency is required to expand its sphere of action on 7,500 ha covering the communes of Nador, Beni Ansar, Arkmane and Bouareg.
This expansion will enable the Agency to better preserve the natural heritage and landscape of the lagoon site and develop it as part of controlled territorial coherence, which makes it possible to promote citizen-, environment-friendly sustainable urban planning.
Thus, the major Marchica project, which was initiated by King Mohammed VI in 2008 and consists of several phases to be implemented over fifteen years, is going on according to the set programme and expected rate. It provides for the construction of seven tourist and urban cities that are expected to change the urban configuration of the Grand Nador, by providing infrastructure that make it a great destination for domestic and international tourism.
To date, extensive work has been done to clean up the lagoon and protect its natural environment. This work has been reinforced by the construction of the new wastewater treatment plant and the new Grand Nador landfill.
The actions completed or underway have, to date, required three billion dirhams, along with setting up tools, including the Agency, in order to ensure the implementation based on a well thought-out, coherent programme. They stem from the royal will to revive an exceptional ecological space and set it as a strategic project for the socio-economic standing of the Grand Nador.
The lagoon is the largest on the Mediterranean southern shore, with a length of 24km and a width of 7.5km, separated by the sea by a system of sand dunes. It is a micro-tidal lagoon system with high biodiversity levels and acts as a wintering site for migratory birds, and as spawning and feeding ground for several fish species.
On a surface of over 1,000 hectares, the plan for improvement of the lagoon of Marchica has contributed widely to the modernisation of Nador ‘s seafront, by restructuring the Hotel Rif, building of the resort Gulf of Nador on the lagoon coasts, by building new hotels, villas, the sea pole Atalayoune, the luxurious residential complex ‘Cite’ de la Plaine’, the new seaside resort Kariat Armane and a hotel complex with sport infrastructures.
The construction of a small port “of the two seas” is also envisaged. The project includes a system for introducing water back into the lagoon. After the Green City in Benguerir, the King continues his ambitious project program to grant each region with projects that respect its natural and cultural aspects but at the same time contribute widely to its promotion.
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