The extent of the devastation that a dam burst can cause can be estimated from the city of Derna in Libya. Houses were filled with water and mud. Bodies emerge from the mud and rubble. They rot. Now there is a risk that diseases will spread there. Foreign media is treating it like a nuclear bomb attack.
The city of Derna with a population of 1.25 lakh is now completely destroyed. Destroyed buildings, mud and cars loaded on top of each other can be seen everywhere. No one knows that if you step in the mud you will find a body underneath. It is feared that more than 40,000 people will die.
A Yugoslavian company built two dams in Derna in 1970. The first dam was 75 meters high. It contained 1.80 million cubic meters of water. The second dam was 45 meters high. 15 million cubic meters of water collected there. Each cubic meter of water weighs one ton. There were approximately 2 million tons of water in both dams. Below it was the city of Darna.
Satellite photos show that these dams were empty. They have not been cared for in the last 20 years. The problem wasn’t the empty dam. But it was under repair. Hurricane Daniel brought so much water that the old and weak dam could no longer handle it. The dam burst and destroyed the city of Derna below.
Both dams were made of concrete. He also had a glory hole. So that the water doesn’t overflow. But the wood got stuck inside. It was closed. Nobody paid attention to maintenance. Garbage kept accumulating. Because of this, the dam began to fill with water quickly due to the rains following the storm. Hurricane Daniel rained non-stop for a week.
The local administration of Derna was not willing to do this. When a storm came, the big dam was filled first. When it could no longer handle the amount of water, water began to flow from above. After a while he collapsed. At the same time, 1.80 million tons of water flowed downwards. The dam at the bottom didn’t have the power to hold that much water.
The small dam also broke. Then what caused the fire throughout the city? The lower part of each house was filled with water. Not only is it the responsibility to strengthen the dams, but their maintenance is also important. The task in which the Libyan government and local administration have failed. A report on this was also published last year.
That report said the Derna Valley basin needed immediate attention. Otherwise there will be a major catastrophe here any day. Both dams were in need of maintenance. If these break, the city in the valley will be destroyed. Everyone knew about the danger. Everyone knew that large dams could be dangerous. It happened here.
Dams have been in operation for thousands of years. The dams built by the Roman Empire are still in operation today. Attention must be paid to their design and strength. And also their maintenance. To clean the garbage accumulated in dams. So that they can work properly. Because if they are not cleaned, they are nothing less than a nuclear bomb.
Libyan hydrologist Abdul Wanis Ashur said everyone knows the condition of these dams. But no one paid any attention. Neither the administration nor the government. The people also knew that they were threatened with death. If the Public Water Commission had paid attention to the report released last year and cleaned the dam, this scene may not have been seen.
The Libyan government knew what was happening in the Derna River valley. What kind of problem will arise? But it didn’t make any difference. Almost half of this city’s population has now been destroyed. Abdulkader Mohammad Alfakari, 22, said when the flood came he ran to the roof of the fourth floor. Rescued.
Abdulkader saw people and buildings in his neighborhood being washed into the sea. People asked for help by lighting mobile flashlights. Nobody could understand anything. The vehicles parked on the streets had entered the houses. Only corpses flowed. People’s bodies were carried to different houses along with water and mud. It was a terrible sight.
