For centuries, the Loukkos River has been both a lifeline and a recurring threat, causing repeated floods that have shaped settlements from ancient Lixus to modern Ksar El Kebir. Despite river diversions and dams, major floods have continued into the 20th and 21st centuries, showing that the risk has never fully disappeared. Panoramic view of Larache from the bank of the Loukkos River. / Ph. ABC Archive ‹ › The start of 2026 in northern Morocco has been marked by exceptionally harsh weather conditions, with the city of Ksar El Kebir fully evacuated to protect residents from flooding caused by the overflow of the Loukkos River. Images and videos circulating widely show streets submerged by rising waters from Morocco's third-largest river, following heavy rainfall that brought an end to years of drought in the country. Although exceptional and not an everyday occurrence, these scenes are far from new to the Loukkos basin, a region historically prone to flooding. For centuries, the Loukkos River has been both a lifeline and a recurring threat to human settlements in northern Morocco. The river «crosses a vast, gently sloping plain, a feature that significantly increases the risk of flooding», writes Moroccan historian Samir Ait Oumghar in Cities and Methods of Combating the Risk of Flooding in North Africa During the Roman Period (Hespéris-Tamuda, 2019). Flooded since antiquity This structural vulnerability has profoundly shaped the region from antiquity to the modern era. One of the most striking examples is Lixus, one of Morocco's oldest urban sites, built «on the right bank of the Loukkos River, atop a rocky hill rising about 80 meters above sea level». During major winter floods, the surrounding plain was regularly inundated, «so much so that the hill appears like an island when viewed from the sea», notes Ait Oumghar. While this elevated position offered natural protection against floodwaters to Lixus, it also isolated it and «limited its expansion toward low-lying areas, which remained permanently exposed to flooding». Lixus, however, was the exception rather than the rule. Other Roman-era settlements along the Loukkos were far less fortunate. The site of Novum Oppidum, located on the right bank of the river at the southeastern edge of the alluvial plain, eventually disappeared entirely beneath «thick layers of successive sediment deposited by repeated floods», according to the historian. Flooding alone does not fully explain its disappearance. Historical sources indicate that ancient structures remained visible «until the 11th century», and their destruction is partly linked to urban expansion during the Almohad period. The decisive factor, however, was «the accumulation of Loukkos River sediments between the 12th and 19th centuries», which gradually buried the site. Built atop these ruins, Ksar El Kebir, formerly known as Qasr Abd al-Karim, inherited this vulnerability. Historical accounts describe how the Loukkos once flowed «alongside the city wall […] and sometimes overflowed, sweeping away houses». Faced with repeated disasters, residents took a radical step in the 19th century by altering the river's course. The Loukkos was diverted into a new channel known as Oued Jdid, now located about 400 meters from the city's urban core, recounts Ait Oumghar. 12 flooding events between 1936 and 1951 In the modern era, flooding has remained a defining feature of the lower Loukkos basin. According to the study Geomorphological Evolution of the River Loukkos Estuary Around the Phoenician City of Lixus (2009), «before the construction of the Oued El Makhazine dam in 1979, the Loukkos floods completely inundated the littoral estuary and often flooded the city of Ksar El Kebir». Archival data show that the city endured 12 flooding episodes between 1936 and 1951. Flooding also repeatedly affected the estuary itself. Scientific records document major flood events in January and December 1963, February 1969, January 1970, and January 1977, prompting authorities to act. This led to the construction of the Oued El Makhazine dam in 1979, followed by a secondary «guard dam» in 1981. While these structures were designed to protect against flooding, their role extended to regulating irrigation and preventing the intrusion of seawater. Yet, as history has shown, infrastructure has not eliminated the risk. Exceptional floods were recorded again in 2001, 2008, 2010, 2013, and 2014, causing agricultural losses and disrupting daily life in Ksar El Kebir. The latest episode, unfolding in early 2026, is yet another reminder that the Loukkos remains a powerful and unpredictable force, one that continues to shape the destiny of the region.
