The devastating floods in Libya, according to the Libyan Red Crescent, have claimed the lives of over 11,000 people.
Bodies of the deceased persons, who were killed in the Libya floods continue to wash up the shores of coastal city of Derna.
Storm Daniel hit Libyan city of Derna on September 10 and 11 that led to collapse of at least two dams resulting in floods water gushing into the city.
According to the mayor of Derna, the Libya flood death toll could rise even further – as much as 20,000 – as entire neighbourhoods got swept away into the sea.
Many in Libya, especially the politicians, have been trying to paint the incident as a pure natural disaster.
However, experts claim that corruption, poor maintenance of public infrastructure and years of political infighting left Libya unprepared to deal with an event like Storm Daniel.
“The general state of turmoil also means a lot of bickering over the allocation of funds,” Claudia Gazzini, the International Crisis Group’s senior analyst for Libya, was quoted as saying by Al Jazeera.
For the past three years there has been no development budget, which is where funds for infrastructure should fall, and no allocation for long-term projects, Gazzini said.
“And none of the two governments is legitimate enough to make big plans, something that curbs focus on infrastructures,” she added.
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Derna’s deputy Mayor Ahmed Madroud said the two dams that collapsed leading to the disaster had not been properly maintained since 2002 – the time when Libya’s long-time dictator Muammar Gaddafi was still ruling the country.
Last year, a paper from researchers at Omar Al-Mukhtar University warned that the two dams needed urgent attention, pointing out that there was “a high potential for flood risk”.
Yet no action was taken.