…and is currently under way in Rabat!
At the initiative of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, the Moroccan Government launched a rehabilitation programme in Morocco’s 32 medinas to renew these living and business districts which are home to 750,000 people, i.e., 3.6% of the country’s urban population.
At present, 14 of these districts are undergoing active rehabilitation. This programme also enables CTHM, our Moroccan subsidiary, to stand out from the competition with the implementation of trenchless techniques which are particularly suited to these dense urban environments, made up of narrow lanes that are home to intense business and retail activity.
On behalf of RADEEM (the Meknes Independent Water & Electricity Supply Authority), CTHM is currently carrying out close-fit lining works in the framework of an order for the renewal and rehabilitation of drainage networks and branch connections in the city’s historic medina.
Meknes is a city in the north-east of Morocco, located 130km from the capital. It is one of Morocco’s four imperial cities, and the third largest in the kingdom with a population of 519,296. It is listed among Morocco’s National Heritage Sites. The city’s medina is UNESCO World Heritage listed.
Along some 30 lanes and over a total length of 1.6km, CTHM’s specialist team is currently doing the preparatory works (HP cleaning, survey and drilling), which are often carried out at night to minimise disruptions to business activities, and the actual close-fit lining rehabilitation works.
This same team which also worked in Tangier’s medina and the peripheral districts of Rabat is composed of 4 operators for the close-fit lining, 4 for milling and cleaning, 2 for inspection, 1 site manager and 1 team supervisor.
The team is led by Omar EL OUARDI, fondly nicknamed “The Close-fit Liner of Morocco” by his colleagues. He joined CTHM in 2018 as a works administrator and after graduating from an evening course with a Master’s in Civil Engineering, is now a Site Supervisor specialised in trenchless rehabilitation works.
Launched in February 2022, the operations are scheduled to last for 12 months and have progressed by 43% to date. The works are running smoothly under the watchful and satisfied eye of the medina’s residents and shop owners, who are particularly appreciative of the absence of rubble and the low impact on their daily lives.
It must be emphasised that our customer, RADEEM, is the leading advocate for these rehabilitation solutions. In the framework of a publicity unit it set up, the authority regularly organises meetings with the country’s design offices to present the advantages of trenchless works.
Morocco has huge needs in this area and an environment which is particularly well-suited to these techniques, which are being hailed as a great innovation.
