Southeastern, Oct 14 (V7N) — Two days of heavy rainfall have led to severe flooding in parts of Morocco’s Sahara desert, a rare event in this arid region. Lake Iriqui , located between the Zagora and Tata areas, was filled with water for the first time in over 50 years, as captured by a NASA satellite image.

Flash floods in desert areas are uncommon, but this week’s intense rain has caused significant flooding. Hossein Yabeb , an official from the Moroccan Meteorological Department, expressed amazement at the scale of the rainfall, stating, "I have not seen so much rain in such a short period of time in the last 30 to 50 years."

This flooding comes on the heels of a tragic month for Morocco, where 18 people lost their lives in floods last month, according to a report by *The Guardian*. The region is still reeling from the devastating effects of a massive earthquake last year, adding to the recent natural disasters Morocco has faced.

In addition to the floods, Morocco’s dammed reservoirs were completely filled by heavy rains in September , offering some relief to the country’s water supply but adding to the unpredictability of the weather in the region.

The flooding has had a significant impact on the desert landscape and is expected to affect the local communities and ecosystems as they recover from this rare event.

END/RH/AJ