Mystery groundwater upsurge floods homes in Libyan coastal town
Al Jazeera
Stagnant water has flooded homes and palm groves around Zliten, spreading a foul odour and creating mosquito swarms.
Much of Libya is bone-dry desert but one Mediterranean coastal town is suffering the opposite problem – its houses and fields have been inundated by a mysterious upsurge of groundwater.
Stagnant water and squishy mud have flooded houses, streets and palm groves around the northwestern town of Zliten, spreading a foul smell and creating breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
Many residents have fled their homes, where walls have cracked or collapsed, amid fears of a worsening environmental crisis in the area about 160km (100 miles) east of the capital, Tripoli.
“Water began coming out two months ago and still continues to rise and submerge our wells,” said Mohamad Ali Dioub, owner of a farm some 4km (2.5 miles) from Zliten. “All my fruit trees – apple, apricot and pomegranate trees – are dead.”
The 60-year-old said he had rented water trucks to pump out the stagnant water and bought loads of sand to dump onto the soggy ground in an effort to save some of his valuable date palms.
