The consequences of the exceptional rains on the environment in the watershed of Inaouène: The case of the Eastern Pré rif

The mountains of the Eastern Pre rif are frequently subject to exceptional rainfall events, the occurrence of which is linked to disturbances in the North North West sector or only to thermo-convective storms. Their impact on these fragile environments is sometimes catastrophic : acceleration of erosive dynamics, landslides, floods, damage to roads and infrastructure. However, these mountains were subjected to great socio-economic changes during the XIXth century which were at the origin of a real disturbance of the stability of the Rifain ecosystem. This situation is being worsened by the gradual development of new trends in the local climate. All these developments combined, reinforce the dynamics of degradation of natural resources. This paper proposes to study these phenomena and to highlight the risks that they can generate in an environment where the soils are already weak.

Keywords : Rif, Maroc, exceptional rains, landslides, floods, soil érosion