Libya: Leakage in man-made river pipeline causes flooding

A Libyan city was flooded on Thursday when a water pipe burst.

The water pipe in Ajdabiya is part of the Great Man-made River (GMR), a network of underground pipelines and aqueducts that bring fresh water from ancient underground aquifers in the Sahara to the coast of Libya.

Salah Al-Saadi, spokesman for the Man-made River Project Implementation and Management Authority, said the water leakage at Station 41, located near the Zuwetina area, northeast of Ajdabiya, caused some farms and homes to be flooded.

Al-Saadi said it happened after cracks appeared in the pipes following illegal water connections and the theft of air valves and protective copper cables.

Al-Saadi suggested the water leakage was estimated at about 500,000 cubic meters.

Water had been cut off from all cities and towns between the cities of Benghazi and Ajdabiya for an unknown period, and that the maintenance teams were finally able to control the leak, Al-Saadi stated.