A news report published by the British magazine International Water Power & Dam Construction has confirmed that a specialized workshop was held to assess the causes and impacts of the 2023 dam collapses in the city of Derna, organized by the “International Commission on Large Dams.”
Importance of Libyan Dams
The report, monitored and with its main points translated by Al-Marsad newspaper, quoted Arcus Wishart, Senior Water Specialist for the Middle East and North Africa at the World Bank, who stated that Libya has a relatively small portfolio of dams concentrated on the northern coast. Despite the country’s arid conditions, they play a pivotal role in water security and recharging aquifers.
Great Variation in Construction Systems
The report explained that there are 18 large dams in Libya, 14 of which are registered in the World Register of Dams. It indicated that these structures feature significant variations in their construction systems and have storage capacities reaching approximately 390 million cubic meters, which made the consequences of the collapse of the Derna and Abu Mansour dams particularly severe.
Call to Set National Priorities
In turn, Laurent Mouvet, Vice President of the International Commission on Large Dams, said, “The experience of the Abu Mansour and Derna dams underscores the need to establish national priorities to protect the remaining dam portfolio and mitigate the impacts of any potential failure on public health, infrastructure, and the environment.”
Measures to Improve Safety
According to the report, experts have outlined eight key measures based on a comprehensive review and international practices. The most prominent of these include conducting detailed assessments of the 2023 floods and the causes of the failures, improving flood forecasting and early warning systems, establishing a new regulatory framework, and launching a national program to ensure dam safety.