Libya’s prosecutor general has taken swift action in response to the catastrophic dam collapse disaster that claimed thousands of lives on September 10. The disaster unfolded when a storm of hurricane strength struck the region around Derna, causing two ageing dams to breach. In the aftermath, witnesses likened the flash flood to a tsunami.
On Monday, the prosecutor general’s office announced that eight officials were ordered to be arrested as part of an ongoing investigation into the dam collapse tragedy. These officials are suspected of “bad management” and negligence in their roles, including responsibilities related to water resources and dam management.
The flash flood event has left a devastating impact, with the official death toll surpassing 3,800 as of Saturday. International aid groups have expressed concerns that over 10,000 individuals may still be missing.
During the investigation, Libya’s prosecutor general, Al-Seddik al-Sur, disclosed that the two dams located upstream from Derna had been displaying cracks since 1998. Repair efforts, initially initiated by a Turkish company in 2010, were abruptly halted a few months later due to the eruption of Libya’s 2011 revolution. Unfortunately, the crucial restoration work never resumed.
Al-Sur, in a statement made on September 16, asserted the commitment to holding those responsible accountable for their actions, promising to address the situation firmly.
The aftermath of the 2011 NATO-backed revolution led to more than a decade of intermittent conflicts within Libya. The nation currently remains divided, with an internationally recognised administration based in Tripoli, represented by Al-Seddik al-Sur, and another in the flood-affected eastern region. Eastern forces had previously launched an unsuccessful offensive on the capital, culminating in a ceasefire in 2020. Subsequently, a period of relative stability allowed war-torn Libya to initiate reconstruction efforts.
The flash flood disaster was set in motion when the Abu Mansur dam, situated 13 kilometres (approximately eight miles) from Derna, succumbed to the deluge. The dam held a massive 22.5 million cubic metres (nearly 800 million cubic feet) of water. Subsequently, the Al Bilad dam, with a capacity of 1.5 million cubic metres and located just a kilometre from the coastal city, was also breached. The resulting wall of water and debris swept through the normally arid riverbed, causing widespread destruction in the city centre.
Remarkably, both dams were constructed by a Yugoslav company in the 1970s, not as water reservoirs but as flood protection measures for Derna, as earlier explained by Al-Sur.
Despite annual budget allocations for repair work on the dams since the 2011 revolution, none of the successive governments undertook the necessary maintenance, according to an official. A 2021 report from the Libyan audit bureau criticised the recurring delays in resuming the repair work.
In November 2022, engineer and academic Abdel Wanis Ashour issued a warning in a study, highlighting the imminent “catastrophe” that loomed over Derna if authorities failed to address the essential maintenance needs of the dams.