Canal Of Pangalanes: Co-Development Model Of An Environmentally-Responsible Project – OpEd
Said Zarrou, the Moroccan chairman of the board of Marshica Med Ltd, signed Monday a memorandum of understanding with the Malagasy party on the project of upgrading and preserving the Canal of Pangalanes.
In a statement to the Moroccan and Malagasy press, Mr. Zarou underlined that Morocco, thanks to the leadership of HM King Mohammed VI, has developed over the past years an expertise in the fields of developing large-scale environment-friendly territorial projects.
The Canal of Pangalanes, whose upgrading and preservation will be ensured under a partnership between the two countries, is a 700- km waterway which is four times longer than the Suez Canal and eight times longer than the Panama Canal, he noted.
The Canal des Pangalanes consists of a series of natural rivers, waterways and man-made lakes and runs down the east coast of Madagascar from Mahavelona to Farafangana.
Mr. Zarou stated that this project concerns the setting up of tools for safeguarding ecosystems of sites adjacent to the said canal, mainly in relations with the ecological, agricultural, industrial, mining, port, urban, cultural and tourist aspects.
The chairman of Marshica MED board also highlighted the successful experience of his body, noting that the Lagoon of Marshica was a laboratory to develop the necessary technical and institutional tools to manage this site on a long term basis.
He added that this expertise, which covers the fields of urban management, transportation, liquid purification and water, is currently shared with the Ivorian friends as part of the Cocody Bay project.
After having experienced increased pollution Canal of Pangalanes is now suffering from serious environmental degradation. The primary goal of the project is to provide a sustainable solution to the problem of the canal pollution and its watershed. The site will be depolluted, reforested and redeveloped into a green corridor.
This major project will also provide for the development of an ambitious program of sports, cultural activities, entertainment and commercial facilities. This significant environmental project will ensure and maintain sustainably of its position as a leading regional tourist destination.
Marchica Med, a Moroccan State-owned company, is a subsidiary of the Agence pour l’Aménagement du Site de la Lagune de Marchica. Established in 2008, Marchica Med’s mission was to depollute the Marchica lagoon in Nador (Northern Morocco) and transforming the town along with its metropolitan area into a centre of competence, competitiveness and sustainable development.
