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Nearly 19 years after the hamlet of Bouydmouma, in the commune of Aghbala in Beni Mellal Province, was connected to the electricity grid, around 10 families living just 600 meters from the village remain without power. Excluded from the original electrification project, residents say the lack of electricity has severely affected their daily lives, healthcare and their children's education.
Speaking to Yabiladi, resident Lahcen Lougna said their homes have been just a few meters from the electricity network since 2007, yet they have never been connected despite repeatedly petitioning the relevant authorities.
«All we have received are promises. In the end, the commune told us it did not have the necessary resources to bring electricity to our homes». Lougna said the issue has gone far beyond basic comfort and now directly affects residents' health.
«I have cancer and take medication that must be kept at a suitable temperature. My father is also ill and relies on medication that requires proper storage, something we simply cannot provide without electricity», he argued.
The lack of electricity has also taken a toll on children's education, forcing them to do their homework by candlelight or gas lamps. Residents must travel several kilometers to charge their phones or access basic services at homes or cafés with electricity.
Just meters from the grid, yet left in the dark
Lougna added that even the excitement surrounding Morocco's World Cup campaign has passed his family by. «My children ask me to take them to a café about seven kilometers away to watch the national team's matches, but that's difficult, especially because the games are played late at night».
Another resident, Mouha Chmssi, said the families have endured the same hardship for nearly two decades.
«We live by candlelight, which puts both us and our children at risk, especially during heatwaves. We've contacted several authorities and even staged protests in Beni Mellal, but nothing has changed».
Chmssi said residents struggle to understand why they remain without electricity despite living only a short distance from the village.
«Our homes are only a few hundred meters away, yet we've been deprived of electricity all these years instead of being given a solution. We're exhausted. As soon as the sun sets, our day is over». He stressed that residents are simply asking for access to electricity.
«We're asking for nothing more than electricity. Healthcare and education are already another battle, we have neither a hospital nor a school nearby, and whenever someone falls ill, we have to travel to Beni Mellal. But when it comes to electricity, we still haven't found a solution».
Chmssi said the lack of electricity has also prevented residents from sharing in the country's World Cup celebrations.
«Watching football may seem secondary, but we wanted to celebrate like everyone else. We can't watch the matches and only learn the results the next morning when we go to the neighboring village and people tell us what happened».
